Alleged desecration sparks unrest

Tension runs high; police, Rangers control situation, ensure protection to minorities

HYDERABAD:

An alleged incident of desecration of the Holy Quran sparked unrest in Saddar area of Hyderabad on Sunday. Thousands of people gathered in the area and surrounded the building where the incident allegedly took place.

Angry mobs tried to break in, however, police controlled the situation by refraining them from harming the minority community members.

Later, a contingent of Rangers also reached the scene and dispersed the crowd. The police arrested a sanitary worker, Ashok Kumar, in connection with the incident and later named him in an FIR under sections 295-B and 34 of Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of Bilal Abbassi, a local shopkeeper.

Abbasi said in his statement that when he reached the fourth floor of Rabi Centre he found 8 to 10 persons standing in the corridor. One of them, Molana Ameen Zakaria, gave him a burnt copy of the Holy Quran which he had packed in a plastic bag. They spotted a sweeper in the building and asked who had burnt the holy book but he had no answer.

They later handed over the holy book and the sweeper to SHO Cantt police station. Minority families reportedly live in the said apartment building and some other buildings nearby.

“Our families are very frightened,” said a local resident, requesting anonymity out of fear. However, the presence of Rangers and police and their action of dispersing the crowd gave them relief.

The situation in the locality remained tense till the filing of this report. The crowds later gathered in many areas of Hyderabad. The Saddar market closed down after the incident. The SSP Hyderabad Amjad Ahmed Shaikh met a delegation of representatives of the religious parties and assured them that culprit would be punished as per law.

“The sentiments of all Muslims are hurt but it shouldn’t mean that we harm the innocent people,” he said.

The SSP requested the people to cooperate with the police in investigations instead of harming innocent people, which our religion does not permit.

The religious parties have strongly condemned the incident and demanded of the police to arrest those involved in the incident.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2022.