LAHORE: Punjab police on Tuesday arrested 10 more suspects in the Khanewal lynching case, in which a mob tortured and killed a mentally challenged man accused of burning pages of the Holy Quran.
According to a statement, the suspects were arrested after investigation and identification, bringing the total number of arrests to 112, among whom 31 are primary suspects.
The statement said the arrests were made in raids in different locations. Initially, police had arrested 85 suspects, after Prime Minister Imran Khan had taken notice of the incident, and took six more into custody on Monday.
All the arrested suspects would be presented before an anti-terrorism court in Multan, the police statement said. Meanwhile, “the Punjab IGP (inspector general of police) has directed the Multan RPO (regional police officer) and Khanewal DPO (district police officer) to personally monitor the case’s probe,” the statement read.
Last week, a mob in Punjab’s Khanewal district tortured and killed a man accused of desecrating the Holy Quran. As per details, the local police, in order to prevent themselves, allegedly allowed the accused to leave the police station in Mian Chunnu where the mob was present.
The victim was dragged to a nearby place, tortured and killed, and his body hung from a tree, whereas the police allegedly played the role of silent spectators.
This is not the first incident of citizens becoming judges, jury and executioners. In November last year, a mob had vandalised a police station in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Charsadda district and set it on fire after authorities refused to hand over a man arrested earlier for allegedly desecrating the Holy Quran.
