Videos shared on social media showed hundreds of men and young boys gathered at the site, with groups of them chanting slogans.
A mob in Sialkot on Friday tortured a man to death before burning his body, while a heavy contingent of police has been sent to the area to bring the situation under control.
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| Islamist mob kills Sri Lankan manager in Pakistan accusing him of blasphemy, manager worked for a company that made T20 gears for Pak cricket team |
The incident took place on Wazirabad Road in Sialkot, where reportedly the workers of private factories attacked the export manager of a factory and burnt his body after killing him.
Sialkot District Police Officer Umar Saeed Malik said the man, identified as Priyantha Kumara, was a Sri Lankan national.
Videos shared on social media showed hundreds of men and young boys gathered at the site, with groups of them chanting slogans.
Most of the people surrounding the burning corpse, based on footage seen by local media, were seen recording it.
Police have not yet commented on the possible motive behind the murder. However, the police have reportedly said that the incident would be investigated and culprits would be brought to book.
Interestingly, reports indicate that he had torn the “poster of the Prophet”. There were questions raised as to how he could have torn the poster of the Prophet of Islam when Islam forbids people from manifesting the prophet in any form, given that Islam is against idolatry. It is possible that they meant a poster with Prophet Muhammad’s name written in calligraphy.
Meanwhile, a Sialkot resident took to Facebook to say that the victim had thrown a paper accidentally in the bin and that there was no deliberate blasphemy in the case.
Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar took notice of the murder, terming it as a "very tragic incident", while the spokesperson for Sialkot police said details would be shared with the media after initial investigation.
Buzdar has summoned a report from the inspector general of police and ordered a high-level inquiry into the matter.
"Every aspect of the incident should be investigated and a report should be submitted. Action should be taken against those who take the law into their own hands," the chief minister said.
Punjab Inspector General of Police Rao Sardar Ali Khan also took notice of the incident and directed the Gujranwala regional police officer to reach the location immediately.
"The Sialkot DPO is present on the spot. All aspects of the incident should be investigated," the IGP said.
A similar incident in Sialkot in 2010 had shaken the country when a mob had lynched two brothers in the presence of police, declaring them dacoits. The incident sparked shock and horror across the country as cellphone footage of the heinous murders was uploaded to video-sharing sites.
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