Dhoop Sarri evacuations: Christians refuse to return despite police presence

‘Some families reported being threatened with dire consequences for pursuing police case over mob attack’.

LAHORE: Despite heavy police deployment, several Christian families who had left the Dhoop Sarri neighbourhood on Sunday night following a charged mob’s attack over a blasphemy allegation are still reluctant to return to their houses.

Khalid Shehzad, a resident of the area, said the attack took place in presence of the police. “The police failed to protect our houses then. We can’t trust them,” he said.

Shehzad said some men had visited their houses for a while on Tuesday. He said there was a possibility of another attack on Friday.  He said there were several mosques in the nearby Chandni Chowk.

“People may get together after the prayer congregations and march towards the neighbourhood,” he said. Shehzad said some people in Chandni Chowk had on Tuesday (yesterday) removed banners announcing a Christian convention. “Some families who are still residing in Dhoop Sarri complained that a band of women had came to the area and threatened them with dire consequences for pursuing a police case over the mob attack incident,” he said.  Police have registered an FIR against 847 people, 47 of them identified, under blasphemy and terrorism charges.

However, they have yet to make an arrest in the case. The FIR states that the suspects armed with fire arms and sticks attacked Saint Joseph Church following passionate calls through megaphones. It says several doors and windows of the church were damaged in the attack. It says several houses were robbed and later set on fire.  The FIR said that a police team used teargas shells besides charging the mob with batons to control the situation.

Some people in the crowd retaliated and pelted the police party with stones, injuring Operations DIG Dr Haider Ashraf and Millat Park SHO Sheikh Naveed Akmal. The mob had marched towards the neighbourhood after a resident was caught on charges of defiling Holy Quran and given into police custody.

A case was registered against the youth on a complaint lodged by Zeeshan Ahmed. Talking to The Express Tribune on Tuesday, Ahmed said he was headed to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday (today) to perform an Umra.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2015.