BAHAWALPUR: In a harrowing
incident of mob justice, hundreds of people accused a ‘deranged’ man of
sacrilege, mercilessly beat him and burnt him alive in southern Punjab,
police said on Wednesday.
The incident took place in Chanighot area of Bahawalpur on Tuesday
evening. Residents saw a man allegedly throwing pages from the Holy
Quran onto the street. Local police took him into custody and put him in
the lockup.
The news spread like a forest fire in the neighbourhood – and soon a
frenzied mob gathered outside the Chanighot police station baying for
blood.
Police couldn’t stand up to the furious and violent crowd who got
hold of the alleged blasphemer, described by one police official as
deranged, and brutally tortured him.
Some officers fired tear gas canisters to disperse the mob – but the
emotionally charged people refused to hand over the alleged blasphemer
and instead turned against the police officers, according to Ghulam
Mohiuddin Gujjar, the station house officer (SHO) of Chanighot police
station.
Nine police officers, including SHO Gujjar and DSP Rana Naveed
Mumtaz, were injured while trying – though unsuccessfully – to rescue
the man.
The mob burnt down several police vehicles, including DSP Mumtaz’s
four-wheeler, before getting hold of the man, who has not been
identified.
Once the unidentified man was in the mob’s custody, he was dragged to
the Chanighot Chakar (roundabout), where he had allegedly desecrated
the Holy Quran, doused him in petrol and set him on fire.
SHO Gujjar said they have registered two FIRs against 1,500-2,000 people.


DPO Bahawalpur Ahmad Ishaque Jehangir told The Express Tribune
that police reinforcement has been sent to the area to bring the
situation under control. He added that they were investigating the
incident.
Jehangir said that an additional police force had been deployed in
Chanighot police station to avoid any untoward incident. The man’s body
was shifted to a local hospital for autopsy.


Source: http://tribune.com.pk/story/403534/blasphemy-mob-burns-man-alive-for-burning-holy-quran/