Verdict in Sri Lankan citizen’s lynching case expected today

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court in Lahore is likely to announce its verdict in the case of the brutal murder of Sri Lankan factory manager, Priyantha Kumara, who was tortured to death and his body was set ablaze by a mob over blasphemy allegation on December 3, 2021.

Both the prosecution and the defence have concluded their arguments in the case that was heard on a daily basis. The statements of the investigation officers and eyewitnesses have also been recorded.

Last year, a brutal mob beat to death and set alight Priyantha Kumara, a 48-year-old Sri Lankan citizen in Sialkot. The then prime minister Imran Khan had condemned the vigilante violence and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.

A case was registered against 900 workers of the factory after which scores of suspects were arrested by the law enforcement agencies.

The gruesome incident was dubbed by then prime minister Imran Khan as "a day of shame for Pakistan".

During the trial, presided over by judge Natasha Naseem, the prosecution brought to court 46 eyewitnesses. Furthermore, it submitted as evidence the CCTV footage of 10 cameras installed at the site of the murder, as well as videos taken from the mobile phones of 55 accused men.

The investigation and trial were completed by a five-member team headed by public prosecutor Abdul Rauf Wattoo.

On March 12, the anti-terrorism court indicted 89 people accused of being involved in the brutal lynching of Priyantha Kumara.

The prosecution filed separate challans against the adults and the juveniles accused in the case. In the first challan, 80 individuals accused in the case were nominated, while in the second challan, the names of nine minors were included.

In the challan, the prosecution included the account of 40 witnesses, videos of the incident, digital evidence, DNA evidence, and forensic evidence.