A day after people lynched a man for allegedly desecrating the Holy Quran, protests were held in villages and towns of Dadu - not against the murder but to condemn the arrests made by police in the case.
“An undeclared curfew has been enforced,” said a resident of Seeta village, who belongs to the Solangi community. “Majority of the men who were involved in the attack have fled their homes, leaving women, children and elders behind. Many have even left with their families.”
Hundreds of women staged a demonstration in Seeta village, where the incident took place. They accused the police of “violating the sanctity of their homes during their indiscriminate raids.”
“They are punishing the whole village for the acts of a handful of people,” shouted Yasmeen Channa at the protest.
Residents of Seeta and Seeta Nandhi villages, which have a population of around 7,000 people, stormed the Raho Dero police station on Friday morning where the man accused of blasphemy was locked up. He was thrown out from the first floor of the station, beaten up and burnt to death.
While the protesters accused police of arresting hundreds of residents, Dadu SSP Usman Ghani said that with the nine arrests on Saturday, a total of 39 suspects have been put behind the bars. He told The Express Tribune that police produced over two dozen suspects who were arrested yesterday in the local court to obtain their remand.
The SSP also claimed that six persons who had incited the mob and later led them to the police station have been arrested. “They have no affiliation with any political or religious group,” he said, refusing to disclose their identities.
According to villagers, the peshimam and moazin of Usman Memon mosque - where the victim had allegedly burnt the copies of the Holy Quran while spending a night - are among those arrested.
Police nominated 200 unknown people in an FIR registered under sections 302 and 353 of the Pakistan Penal Code. In a separate FIR, SHO Baharduddin Keerio and seven other policemen have been charged for negligence. Police have been unable to identify the deceased so far.
At a separate protest in Sita Road town, located some eight kilometres from the two villages, demonstrators stressed more on finding out the identity of the deceased than condemning his murder. Led by local political, social and trade representatives, they demanded immediate release of the arrested people, a halt of police crackdown and disclosure of the identity of the alleged blasphemer. “The police have gone on a rampage,” said Sunni Tehreek’s leader, Syed Tameer Shah while addressing the protesters. “They are victimising entire villages for the acts of just 15 to 20 men.” They warned that they would carry their protests to other towns and cities if police did not stop the crackdown.
Additional reporting by Imtiaz Bughio
Published in The Express Tribune, December 23rd, 2012.
COMMENTS (5)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
1714024018-0/ModiLara-(1)1714024018-0-270x192.webp)
Why is it that the peshimam and likes are found guilty of this kind of crimes. Something is gone seriously rotten in pakistan's version of Islam.
These people are following what they were taught in schools and by their society -- hatred of the other (Hindu, non muslim), and supremacy of Islam as opposed to all other religions.
Animals. Claiming to follow a religion of peace. We truly are living in the dark ages of Islam. This news was among the most shared on the BBC. No one in this country cares for the due process of the law, and these illiterate villagers appear to have not the slightest modicum of civility and tolerance. I hope that the police locks these murderers up. If one is accused of any crime, they should face the courts, not a deranged lynch mob. I fear for my country, and this deepening abyss of mindless religious extremism.
“They are punishing the whole village for the acts of a handful of people,” shouted Yasmeen Channa at the protest.
The entire village is guilty of this heinous crime. Police should keep up the good work, and bring all culprits to justice, even though I suspect that the superior judiciary will release these criminals. After all we have a sitting judge, who took pride in showering Mumtaz Qadri with flowers. The once who appointed him, are not too ideologically different.
whats happening in Pakistan?