Peru: Policeman Burned to Death Amid Violent Protest

Authorities said on Tuesday that the Peru death toll from rallies following the removal of former President Pedro Castillo had risen to 47 after a police officer on patrol was attacked and burned to death by protestors in the Puno region.

According to official accounts, on Monday night, 29-year-old police officer José Luis Soncco Quispe was attacked by a mob while on patrol in Juliaca, a city on the border with Bolivia and Lake Titicaca.

The mob then set fire to the officer's vehicle, according to AP.

Reports said that Ronald Villasante Toque and Soncco in the patrol car were detained and violently abused by around 350 demonstrators.

Villasante was severely beaten and sent to a hospital in Lima for treatment and said he was unaware of what was happening to Soncco.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Alberto Otárola told Congress that demonstrators were to blame for Soncco's death.

"Police arrived at the scene and found that one officer had been beaten and tied up, and the other, Luis Soncco Quispe, unfortunately, had died," Otárola said.

"He was burned alive in his patrol car."

Otárola declared a day of mourning for the dead Wednesday and a three-day curfew in Puno from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Police Death Comes After 17 Were Added to Peru Death Toll

In addition to the deceased police officer, the Peruvian Ombudsman's Office reported that since the protests began in early December following Castillo's removal, 39 civilians have been murdered in conflicts with police, and seven more have died in traffic accidents.

The police officer was killed after 17 people were added to Peru's death toll in Juliaca Monday as rallies for primary elections restarted in rural sections of the country still faithful to Castillo.

A deadly clash between civilians and rebel groups occurred in the southern city of Juliaca, close to the border with Bolivia, MSN reported.

This was the deadliest clash between civilians and armed actors in Peru in at least 20 years, when the nation emerged from a dictatorship and a long and brutal fight with a violent guerrilla group.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Jennie Dador, executive secretary of the National Human Rights Coordinator of Peru, an accountability group, said that the murders on Monday resulted from the "indiscriminate use of force" by state security agents.

"What happened yesterday was really a massacre," she said. "These were extrajudicial killings."

According to Peru's interior minister Victor Rojas, Juliaca protests began peacefully. However, they turned violent about 3 p.m., when over 9,000 protestors attempted to take control of the airport, armed people with homemade guns and explosives, and attacked police.

Peru President Dina Boluarte Under Genocide Investigation Following Protest Deaths

With over 40 people in Peru death toll and hundreds more injured in violent clashes in Peru since early December, the country's top prosecutor's office has announced that it has opened an investigation into new president Dina Boluarte and members of her cabinet to investigate allegations of genocide.

However, the new government was given a vote of confidence by Congress on Tuesday night, and it was overwhelmingly approved, per The Guardian.

With a loss, Prime Minister Alberto Otarola would have been forced to retire, and a new administration would have been appointed.

The protests on Monday, in the southern region of Puno, were the deadliest since the ouster and detention of former president Pedro Castillo a month ago, which triggered the investigation.

On Tuesday, the Attorney General's Office announced they were looking into "genocide, qualified homicide, and serious injuries" against Boluarte, Otarola, Rojas, and Defense Minister Jorge Chavez.

Human rights organizations have claimed that officials fired weapons and smoke bombs at protesters.

The army claims that the demonstrators used guns and homemade bombs.

The attorney general's office also announced that it would investigate the actions of Pedro Angulo, Boluarte's prime minister, for a brief period, and Cesar Cervantes, his interior minister, regarding the protests.

Requests for comment sent to the Peru president and various ministers' offices initially went unanswered.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Policeman burned to death in his car in Peru amid anti-govt demonstration - From TRT World