In a bloodbath in Punjab’s Nankana Sahib, an angry mob of hundreds on Saturday thrashed a man after he was snatched from a police station, where he was locked up on charges of blasphemy.
As the mob lynched the man — who had allegedly been put behind bars for blasphemy — Station House Officer (SHO) Warburton Feroze Bhatti and other policemen fled the scene for their lives. Done.
Residents of the area claimed that the man – who had returned after spending two years in jail – practiced witchcraft by pasting his ex-wife’s picture on holy papers.
“The mob stormed the police station and beat the man to death,” local police spokesman Waqas Khalid told JEE News.
“After killing him, they tried to burn his body,” he added.
Khalid said authorities are working to identify the attackers responsible for the man’s death.
Videos shared on social media showed hundreds of youths besieging the police compound, with one man scaling a tall gate using a ladder and unlocking it.
The mob then entered and broke the windows.
Taking notice of the incident, Inspector General Punjab Dr. Usman Anwar suspended SHO and Nankana Sahib Circle Deputy Superintendent of Police Nawaz Waraq for failing to prevent the situation from turning violent.
آئی جی پنجاب کا ننکانہ میں شہریوں کی جانب سے قرآن کی بے حرمتی کے الزام میں شہری کی ہلاکت کے واقعہ کا نوٹس۔اعلیٰ افسران کو موقعہ پر پہنچ کر انکوائری رپورٹ پیش کرنے کا حکم۔
— Punjab Police Official (@OfficialDPRPP) February 11, 2023
واقعہ کے ذمہ داروں جبکہ غفلت اور کوتاہی کے مرتکب کے خلاف سخت محکمانہ اور قانونی کاروائی عمل میں لائی جائے گی pic.twitter.com/DZsRIQHzHt
In a statement issued by the Punjab Police on Twitter, it has been said that strict departmental and legal action will be taken against those responsible for the incident and those guilty of negligence.
The prime minister ordered an investigation, the caretaker chief minister called for a report
Later, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an investigation into the incident at Warburton police station, saying why the police did not stop the violent mob.
“Rule of law should be ensured. No one should be allowed to influence the law,” he said.
Caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab Mohsin Naqvi has also asked for a report from the IG while directing an investigation into every aspect of the incident.
He ordered immediate action against those responsible.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Chairman Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi has condemned the incident and said that killing and burning someone on the charge of blasphemy is a cruel act.
Inhuman torture and killing the person, accused of blaspheming the Holy Quran in #Nankana Sahib and attacking at the police station is regrettable and condemnable.
— TahirMahmoodAshrafi حافظ محمد طاهراشرفى (@TahirAshrafi) February 11, 2023
Pakistan Ulema Council pic.twitter.com/9WbPHcLGRK
“The inhumane torture and killing of a person who insulted the Holy Quran and attacked the police station in #Nankana Sahib is sad and condemnable,” he wrote on Twitter.
