Clashes in Kashmir after teacher dies in police custody

Hundreds of protesters clashed with Indian Police in parts of Indian-administered Kashmir after local Police said a man detained over a security investigation died in Police custody.

Rizwan Asad Pandit, a 29-year-old chemistry teacher, was arrested on Sunday evening in connection with a terror case, according to a statement released by Indian Police on Tuesday.

A Police spokesman said the teacher died in Police custody. At present, an investigation into the cause of his death is under way.

Informed about his death on Tuesday morning, Pandit's family condemned the death as a "cold-blooded murder" as crowds gathered in the southern Pulwama district in protest. Angry protesters reportedly threw stones at the Police, who fired tear gas at protesters to bring the situation under control.

Tensions in Kashmir, a region claimed by both India and Pakistan, have been high since a suicide bombing killed 42 Indian soldiers in the Pulwama district on February 14.

The mother (R) of school teacher Rizwan Assad Pandit, who died in Police custody, mourns her lost son at a house in Awantipora of Pulwama district, March 19, 2019. /VCG Photo

New Delhi blamed Islamabad for harboring the armed group, Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) that claimed responsibility for the disastrous attack, and launched an air raid inside Pakistan, a move that brought the neighbors to the brink of war.

The teacher was detained over the Pulwama attack, according to a senior Police official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

The official added that the authorities got some information that the teacher knew how to make explosives, which made him a suspect in the attack.

Several political leaders, including Mehbooba Mufti of the Peoples Democratic Party, were reported to condemn the death in Police custody and demanded that the government take responsibility.

"Innocent men hauled up from their homes for interrogation return home only in coffins now. GoI's repressive approach leaves young educated men vulnerable who are forced to take up arms. Stop using Kashmir to exhibit your sick chauvinistic nationalism. We have suffered enough," Mufti was quoted by Hindustantimes as saying.

(With input from agencies)