Alleged blasphemy case: 23 arrested for lynching man, torching Madyan police station

MINGORA: The police on Sunday arrested 23 suspects on charges of lynching a blasphemy accused and torching the Madyan Police Station in Swat.

The arrested individuals, the police said, were shifted to an undisclosed location while efforts were underway to pick up the other accused.

The arrests were made in the aftermath of the lynching of a man who was accused of desecrating the Holy Quran. The man belonging to Punjab was staying at a hotel in Madyan.

A day earlier, a report by a federal agency had revealed that the hotel management had asked the deceased, accused of blasphemy, to open the door. The accused, the report added, had then opened the door and denied the allegations of blasphemy, after which the police took him to the police station — a move criticised in the report which termed it as a “grave” mistake.

The report said that neither the station house officer (SHO) of the said police station took guidance from the higher-ups on the matter nor shifted the suspect to a “safe” spot. Also, the absence of senior police officials or political leaders during the mob violence contributed to the losses, it added.