NEW DELHI: A man accused of desecrating the Holy Quran was killed by an angry mob in Madyan tehsil of Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in northwest Pakistan, leading to eight injuries and the destruction of the local police station, police reported. The man, Mohammad Ismail from Sialkot district, was allegedly caught burning pages of the Holy Quran. He was taken into custody by the police, but an irate crowd demanded his release, resorting to violence when their demands were not met.
The situation escalated further as the mob set the police station on fire.Some individuals managed to enter the station, shot the suspect, dragged his body to Madyan Adda, and hanged it, PTI reported. “Eight people were injured in the unrest triggered by the incident. Heavy police deployment has been made in Madyan and efforts are being made to bring the situation under control,” District police officer (DPO) Swat, Zahidullah said.
Zahidullah, said that the suspect had been taken to the Madyan police station for protection, AP reported.
Chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur, has requested a report from the provincial police chief on the desecration incident. He instructed the Inspector General of Police to take emergency measures to stabilize the area. The chief minister urged the public to “remain calm and peaceful.”
Local police official Rahim Ullah provided further details, indicating that the incident began when locals in Madyan accused Ismail, a tourist, of blasphemy while he was staying at a local hotel. “Police officers took the man to the station for his protection, but the mob swelled and pursued them. The mob then attacked the station, snatched Ismail, beat him to death and then burned his body and left it on the road,” Ullah told AP.
Additional police forces have been dispatched to Madyan to restore order. It remains unclear if any of the attackers have been apprehended.
The recent lynching in Swat mirrors another violent incident in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province last month. A mob assaulted a 72-year-old Christian man, Nazir Masih, after charging him with desecrating pages of the Quran.
The situation escalated further as the mob set the police station on fire.Some individuals managed to enter the station, shot the suspect, dragged his body to Madyan Adda, and hanged it, PTI reported. “Eight people were injured in the unrest triggered by the incident. Heavy police deployment has been made in Madyan and efforts are being made to bring the situation under control,” District police officer (DPO) Swat, Zahidullah said.
Zahidullah, said that the suspect had been taken to the Madyan police station for protection, AP reported.
Chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur, has requested a report from the provincial police chief on the desecration incident. He instructed the Inspector General of Police to take emergency measures to stabilize the area. The chief minister urged the public to “remain calm and peaceful.”
Local police official Rahim Ullah provided further details, indicating that the incident began when locals in Madyan accused Ismail, a tourist, of blasphemy while he was staying at a local hotel. “Police officers took the man to the station for his protection, but the mob swelled and pursued them. The mob then attacked the station, snatched Ismail, beat him to death and then burned his body and left it on the road,” Ullah told AP.
Additional police forces have been dispatched to Madyan to restore order. It remains unclear if any of the attackers have been apprehended.
The recent lynching in Swat mirrors another violent incident in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province last month. A mob assaulted a 72-year-old Christian man, Nazir Masih, after charging him with desecrating pages of the Quran.