ATC indicts 106 accused in Kot Radha Kishan case

Judge summons 32 prosecution witnesses tomorrow and declares kiln owner Yuosuf Gujjar and three others guilty

An anti-terrorism court indicted 106 people on Thursday accused of lynching a Christian couple in Kot Radha Kishan last year.

Further, the judge summoned 32 prosecution witnesses tomorrow and declared kiln owner Yousuf Gujjar and three others, namely Maulvi Muhaamah Hussain, Maulvi Noorul Hassan and Maulvi Arshad Baloch, guilty.

On November 4, 2014, Shama and Shehzad were beaten to death by a mob over blasphemy allegations and then thrown into the furnace of a brick kiln where the couple worked.

Read: Christian couple killed for 'desecrating Holy Quran' near Lahore: police

The court distributed case copies among the 106 accused as police submitted a challan declaring them guilty. The counsel of the accused had told the court that the police had also implicated some passers-by and guests in the case.

On March 9 this year the apex court expressed dissatisfaction over the investigation of the Punjab police and directed the police chief to supervise the investigation himself.

Read: Kot Radha Kishan tragedy: Lynching case can be reopened, says SC

Complying with the Supreme Court’s March 9 order, the Punjab police chief had told the court in the last hearing that a joint investigation team was reconstituted to probe the case.

Sharing the fact-finding committee’s report, the police chief said ASI Abdul Rasheed knew the issue of blasphemy accusations was brewing a day before the incident took place, but he kept quiet on the matter and did not bother to inform his senior officers.

However, in compliance of the court’s order, the fact-finding committee was ordered to collect the call data records of all the officers, from the DPO to the SHO, to further examine their role in the attack.