Mass killings in Sargodha

In recent months, shrines have become a magnet for terrorists, drawing devotees into a deadly whirlpool of violence. But on Saturday night the execution-style killings of at least 20 devotees in a Sargodha shrine was traced to its custodian, and not a militant group. The mass killings were carried out by the custodian with the help of four accomplices - thought to be his aides at the shrine. The victims were lured to the place, served a toxic substance as well as tainted food that left them immobile, probably unconscious. What followed can only be described as depraved and disturbingly ritualistic murders. The custodian, according to police, showed signs of being deranged and has since confessed to the crime.

A number of questions need to be addressed - foremost among them is -- how could anyone outside the shrine not have heard any sounds or cries for help, especially if the murders were committed one at a time? The custodian offered a simple justification for his actions: his victims had apparently poisoned his spiritual leader two years ago. In his quest for revenge, he went well beyond poison. His victims were tortured to death.

If the sanity of the custodian was in doubt, surely the devotees would have at some point reported him to the authorities. Since he also worked at the Election Commission of Pakistan indicates that other people, apart from shrine devotees, would have had dealings with him and noticed a few signs of mental instability. It now turns out that the custodian had a history of beating and abusing devotees. Yet oddly enough not one among his torture victims had thought it fit to lodge a report against him with the police.

Too often we have seen the authorities look the other way when it comes to the malpractices taking place in and around shrines as well as other places – mostly by unscrupulous faith healers. Many deaths – occurring because of extreme torture of individuals deemed possessed by evil spirits -- go unreported every year. It is not the law enforcers alone who have neglected their duties. It is more of a collective failure to act against our worst suspicions and come to the rescue of highly vulnerable and naïve individuals in our society.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 3^rd, 2017.

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