The police on Sunday claimed to have arrested at least 85 suspects, including 15 main accused, over the lynching of a ‘mentally challenged’ man in Tulamba area of Khanewal the other day.
The victim was a resident of Khanewal and was known to be mentally unstable for the last 15 years. He was killed by an angry mob on Saturday evening for allegedly desecrating a copy of the Holy Quran.
Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted on Sunday that the country would not tolerate ‘mob justice’ anymore. He said the culprits involved in the lynching would be “dealt with the full severity of the law” along with police officials who “failed in their duty”. “We have zero tolerance for anyone taking the law into their own hands & mob lynchings will be dealt with full severity of the law. Have asked Punjab IG for report on action taken against perpetrators of the lynching in Mian Channu & against the police who failed in their duty,” he said in a tweet.
A preliminary report of the incident was also submitted to Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar by Punjab Police Inspector General Rao Sardar Ali Khan, after which Buzdar directed the police to fulfil all requirements of justice. He said that no one could be allowed to take the law into his own hands.
According to the report, 33 persons were nominated in the incident, while a case was registered against 300 unidentified persons. The police reportedly raided more than 120 locations and had detained at least 85 suspects until the filing of this report. According to the report, the arrested suspects include 15 main accused who took the law into their own hands. The arrested suspects could be seen torturing the victim with bricks and batons, the police said. The police said that various teams were conducting raids to arrest more people, while the forensic analysis of available footage would help identify the culprits and determine their role.
As per the instructions of the chief minister and the Punjab IG, the covert police operation continued throughout the night, and senior police officers were also present in the field. Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Interfaith Harmony Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi also strongly condemned the deplorable incident in Mian Channu.
He reached Khanewal on Sunday and directed the authorities to give strict punishment to those responsible for the incident. What the angry mob did was not acceptable at all, he said while addressing a press conference at Circuit House. He was flanked by Deputy Commissioner Salman Khan, DPO Syed Nadeem Abbas and members of the Peace Committee.
He stressed the need for changing attitude towards incidents of blasphemy, and said that all schools of thought had taken a stand regarding the punishment of those responsible. “Those who kill and burn people will not be forgiven in any way,” he said, adding that courts were there to decide such cases.
