A 24-year-old man, who was critically injured after being attacked by stone-throwing mob died at a hospital in Srinagar.
The man, Riyaz Ahmad Khanday, from the Aangmattipora area in South Kashmir's Anantnag district, was injured on March 8 during a protest call and died on Monday late night.
Police have registered a case of murder and have arrested four people, including a student in the connection. The death has taken the toll of fatalities to five in the clashes that erupted in the Valley following hanging of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru.
According to police statement, Khanday, an auto driver by profession, was ferrying a few labourers and some agricultural material on a day when separatist had given a hartal (shutdown) call, demanding the return of Guru's remains to Kashmir. Khandey was hurt after a stone thrown by an angry mob hit him in his head. Khanday died in Sher- I -Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Monday night after battling for life for three days, a police spokesman said.
"One load carrier auto was stopped by some people who starting pelting his load carrier with stones, which resulted in grievous injury Riyaz Ahmed Khanday. Three more persons known to Khanday were also travelling in the load carrier carrying willow saplings,'' read a police statement. Khanday is survived by his parents, a brother and two sisters.
{{/usCountry}}"One load carrier auto was stopped by some people who starting pelting his load carrier with stones, which resulted in grievous injury Riyaz Ahmed Khanday. Three more persons known to Khanday were also travelling in the load carrier carrying willow saplings,'' read a police statement. Khanday is survived by his parents, a brother and two sisters.
{{/usCountry}}According to police spokesman Khandey was intercepted and asked the reasons for his "defiance of the shutdown call". Police sources say Khandey had questioned the repeated calls after which the mob hit him with a stone.
Four suspects, Mohammad Iqbal Najar, 24, Aamir Hussain Najar, 18, Aamir Bashir Malik, B.Ed student and Sartaj Ahmad Wagay, a shopkeeper, were arrested. The four accused had been remanded to police custody for seven days.
Search is on to arrest two more suspects. Further investigation of the case is going on.
Meanwhile, as Khandey's body reached his hometown, the residents protested against stone pelters and demanded action against culprits. While two persons were killed in alleged firing by security forces in different incidents in Baramulla, two youth drowned in Ganderbal district while allegedly being chased by security forces while dealing with law and order since Guru's hanging on February 9.