In a shocking incident, a mob in eastern Pakistan stormed a police station on Saturday and killed a man under custody, who was accused of blasphemy, police said, in the latest incident of religion-linked violence in the Islamic republic.
The country has seen numerous cases of vigilante action by mobs against people accused of blasphemy, one of the highest profiled ones being the murder of a Sri Lankan national, a garment factory manager, in 2021.
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Stripped him naked, dragged him onto streets, beat him to death
The violent mob on Saturday dragged a man from the police station at Warburton, Nankana Sahib, about 80 km from Lahore, and took custody of Waris Issa, who was arrested for alleged desecration of the holy book, stripped him naked, and dragged him into the streets before beating him to death and then attempted to set his body on fire.
Videos shared on social media showed hundreds of youngsters besieging the police compound, with one man scaling a tall gate using a ladder and opening its lock. The video showed the man being dragged through streets by his legs, stripped of his clothes and battered by sticks and metal rods.
A mob lynched a person, who was arrested by police on #blasphemy charges, after attacking a police station in Nankana Sahab, Punjab, #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/qPR2g72Pqs
— Mubashir Zaidi (@Xadeejournalist) February 11, 2023
Cops escaped to scene to save their lives
As the mob was lynching the man — who was put behind bars for alleged blasphemy — Station House Officer (SHO) Warburton Feroze Bhatti and other police personnel escaped the scene to save their lives, reported Geo News.
Residents of the area claimed that the man — who had returned after spending two years in jail — used to practice witchcraft by pasting his ex-wife’s picture on holy papers. They said news of the alleged crime outraged residents and hundreds of them later surrounded the police station, demanding the accused be handed over to them, reported Voice of America.
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Total madness!!! An angry mob attacked the police station in Nankana Sahib. Reportedly an accused of blasphemy was killed and body burnt by the mob. Apparently police was unable to control the situation. pic.twitter.com/1kdNGFmqro
— Shiraz Hassan (@ShirazHassan) February 11, 2023
Pak PM ordered action
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered action against those involved. He also questioned why the police failed to stop the violent mob and directed the Inspector General of police in Punjab to ensure law and order in the district.
“The rule of law should be ensured. No one should be allowed to influence the law,” Sharif emphasised.
Punjab IGP Usman Anwar suspended DSP Nankana Circle Nawaz Virk and SHO Warburton Feroze Bhatti from service.
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