Baramulla, July 31: An elderly man of KhojaBagh Baramulla was allegedly murdered and thrown into the River Jhelum by people associated with the sand mafia Saturday morning.

One Bilal Ahmad Pandith of KhojaBaghBaramulla was allegedly beaten by people associated with a sand mafia and thrown in River Jhelum after a scuffle with the opposite group of Chakloo area, located on the other side of the River Jhelum.

Pandith's family members said that he was called by one of his acquaintances at 12 noon on Friday and left his home along with a friend in connection with some work.

“They went to the spot near Chakloo where sand extracted from Jhelum was kept. As they reached there, a group of people from Chakloo village also arrived there and a scuffle took place,” one of the family members of Pandith said. “While Bilal was hit with some rod and thrown in River Jhelum, his friend fled from the scene."

A Police official said Pandith's friend was in Police custody and being questioned.

Pandith's death has left the family shattered as he was it's sole bread earner and has left behind four kids and a wife.

“The family is financially weak and Bilal's was also ailing. But to feed his family, he was associated with the extraction of sand,” said Khurshed Ahmad, a resident of KhojaBagh.

As the news about the alleged murder of Pandith spread in KhojaBagh, the locals staged a protest and demanded action against the killers.

“Police should expedite the investigation and provide justice to the victim's family which has lost it's lone bread earner. The killers must be put to task as early as possible,” Ahmad said.

Emotions ran high at the spot along the banks of River Jhelum as the female family members of Pandith wailed while the male residents staged a protest against the administration.

“We register our protest to seek justice. We appeal the administration to investigate the matter as such episodes have taken place in the past as well,” said another resident of KhojaBagh who was part of the protest.

While the locals staged the protest, a rescue operation was launched by a team of SDRF and Police. Water boats were also pressed into service to locate the body.

“The body has not been retrieved yet. But we are trying to locate it,” a Police official said. He said that the alleged murder had been done by a group of peopl from Chakloo village.

“It is yet to be ascertained whether it has been done intentionally or unintentionally but locals of Chakloo are involved. We are investigating the case,” the Police official said.

Kashmir Ink | Monday, 22 Mar 2021

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