Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday saluted the moral courage and bravery of a colleague, who tried to rescue Sri Lankan factory manager Priyantha Diyawadanage in Sialkot from a mob on Friday, while Punjab police said they had arrested six more suspects for their primary role in the foreigner’s lynching.
The premier also announced awarding Tamgha-e-Shujaat to Malik Adnan.
The heartening footage of Malik Adnan saving the Sri Lankan national from the wild-eyed, rabid mob came to the fore on Saturday, earning praise from the entire nation.
In CCTV footage, obtained by The Express Tribune, Adnan was seen confronting a group of angry men all by himself and making desperate attempts to avert the flare-up.
He was then seen trying to shield the man from the angry mob, who were baying for blood.
"On behalf of the nation I want to salute moral courage & bravery of Malik Adnan who tried his utmost to shelter & save Priyantha Diyawadana from the vigilante mob in Sialkot incl[uding] endangering his own life by physically trying to shield victim," the premier wrote on his official Twitter handle today.
On behalf of the nation I want to salute moral courage & bravery of Malik Adnan who tried his utmost to shelter & save Priyantha Diyawadana from the vigilante mob in Sialkot incl endangering his own life by physically trying to shield victim. We will award him Tamgha i Shujaat
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) December 5, 2021
Read more: Humanity amidst insanity: Footage shows colleague trying to save Sri Lankan man
PM Imran also announced awarding Adnan Tamgha-e-Shujaat for showing extreme bravery and moral courage.
A hero stood between a bloodthirsty mob and an innocent man with footage of a factory colleague trying to protect the Sialkot lynching victim Priyantha Kumara from a mob which later brutally killed him and then set his body ablaze going viral on Saturday. #etribune pic.twitter.com/UNDHkWG7Af
— The Express Tribune (@etribune) December 4, 2021
The nation was left shell-shocked on Friday when a Sri Lankan national, identified as Diyawadanage Don Nandasri Priyantha, was brutally lynched before being set ablaze by a mob in Sialkot.
— The Express Tribune (@etribune) December 4, 2021
In the clip, capturing the events leading up to the horrific lynching, Adnan can be seen trying to protect Diyawadanage who had rushed up to the roof of the factory as a deluge of a mob continued to flood the premises.
Some among the mob can be heard chanting slogans and saying "he (the manager) will not escape today," while the colleague tried to shield Diyawadanage before being drowned out by the truculent and enraged mob.Diyawadanage was then dragged out on the road and tortured with kicks, stones and iron rods, killing him on the spot and setting his corpse on fire.
Also read: PM assures Sri Lankan president of justice in Sialkot lynching
Videos shared on social media showed hundreds of men and young boys gathered at the site, with groups of them chanting slogans.
— The Express Tribune (@etribune) December 4, 2021
The striking clip has also gone viral on social media, drawing numerous reactions on Twitter, with many posts calling the man a hero.
On Saturday, PM Imran spoke to Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to convey the nation's "anger and shame" to the vigilante killing of Priyantha Diyawadana in Sialkot.
"Spoke to Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today in UAE to convey our nation's anger & shame to people of Sri Lanka at vigilante killing of Priyantha Diyawadana in Sialkot," the premier wrote on Twitter.
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He deserves allthe praise. May Allah bless him
We cannot imagine the pain the pain Hero of Humanity Malik Adnan would be going through after the brutal killing.