Violent mob kills man for desecrating Quran, second blasphemy killing in a month – India TV

Peshawar: A man was killed by an angry mob for allegedly desecrating the Holy Quran in the picturesque Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in northwest Pakistan. Eight people were injured in the ensuing unrest, police said. Swat District Police Officer (DPO) Zahidullah said the man, from Punjab’s Sialkot district, allegedly burnt some pages of the Holy Quran in Swat’s Madyan tehsil on Thursday night.

The suspect was arrested and taken to Madyan police station. A mob gathered outside the police station demanding his extradition. When police refused, the mob opened fire and police retaliated. One person was seriously injured in the exchange of fire and was taken to Madyan hospital, the DPO said. The mob then set fire to the police station. Later, some people entered the police station, shot the suspect dead, dragged his body to Madyan Adda and hung it there, Zahidullah said.

Eight people were injured in the unrest sparked by the incident. A heavy police operation is underway in Madyan and efforts are being made to bring the situation under control, he added.

Chief Minister Ali Amin of Gandapur, KPK, has taken note of the desecration incident and asked the provincial police chief for a report. The chief minister directed the IGP to take emergency measures to bring the situation under control and urged the people to remain calm and peaceful.

Second incident of mob murder

The latest mob outbreak came less than a month after a mob led by radical Islamists attacked Christians in Pakistan’s Punjab province for allegedly desecrating the Koran. At least two members of the minority were injured, one seriously, and later succumbed to his injuries. The incident occurred in the morning in the Sargodha district of Mujahid Colony in Punjab, about 200 km from Lahore. Police said they arrived on the scene in time to bring the situation under control.

Several video clips of the mob attack on the Christian community’s property are doing the rounds on social media. The mob led by radical activists of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) attacked the Christian community, burnt down their property and looted it. According to Asad Ejaz Malhi, a senior Punjab police official, a large police force entered the Mujahid settlement and dispersed the mob that had surrounded some houses (of Christians) alleging desecration of the Quran. He said an injured person was taken to a hospital and police were deployed there to maintain law and order.

(With contributions from the agency)

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