Punjab CM orders action against instigators, lynchers; senior police officers suspended
\n Islamabad
\nIn a bloodcurdling incident in Punjab\u2019s Nankana Sahib, a raging mob of hundreds Saturday tortured a man to death after snatching him from a police station, where he was locked up for allegedly committing blasphemy.
\nAs the mob was lynching the man \u2014 who was put behind bars for alleged blasphemy \u2014 Station House Officer (SHO) Warburton Feroze Bhatti and other police personnel escaped the scene to save their lives.
\nResidents of the area claimed that the man \u2014 who had returned after spending two years in jail \u2014 used to practice witchcraft by pasting his ex-wife\u2019s picture on holy papers.
\n\u201cThe mob stormed the police station and beat the man to death,\u201d local police spokesman Waqas Khalid told AFP.
\n\u201cAfter killing him they tried to set his body ablaze,\u201d he added.
\nKhalid said authorities were working on identifying the attackers responsible for the man\u2019s death.
\nVideos shared on social media showed hundreds of youngsters besieging the police compound, with one man scaling a tall gate using a ladder and opening its lock.
\nThe crowd then barged inside and smashed windows.
\nTaking notice of the incident, Punjab Inspector-General Dr Usman Anwar suspended the SHO and Nankana Sahib Circle Deputy Superintendent of Police Nawaz Waraq for their failure in preventing the situation from turning violent.
\nStrict departmental and legal action will be taken against those responsible for the incident and the perpetrators of negligence, a statement posted by the Punjab police on Twitter read.
\nPM orders probe, caretaker CM seeks report
\nLater, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an investigation into the Warburton police station incident and asked why the police did not stop the violent mob.
\n\u201cThe rule of law should be ensured. No one should be allowed to influence the law,\u201d he said. Mohsin Naqvi, the caretaker chief minister of Punjab, has also sought a report from the IG on the incident, directing an investigation from every aspect.
\nHe ordered immediate action against the culprits.
\nMeanwhile, Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Chairman Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi has condemned the incident, saying killing and burning someone accused of blasphemy was a cruel act.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Punjab CM orders action against instigators, lynchers; senior police officers suspended Islamabad In a bloodcurdling incident in Punjab\u2019s Nankana Sahib, a raging mob of hundreds Saturday tortured a man to death after snatching him from a police station, where he was locked up for allegedly committing blasphemy. As the mob was lynching the man \u2014 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":313186,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-313153","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n