A mob in Sialkot of Pakistan tortured a Sri Lankan factory General manager to death over blasphemy allegations before burning his body. Victim was Priyantha Kumara The General Manager of Rajcot Industries a leading apparel factory in Sialkot.
According to Pakistan news portal dawn.com, the incident took place on Wazirabad Road in Sialkot, where the workers of private factories attacked the victim , who was a resident of the city and burnt his body after killing him.
The manager was lynched by the mob inside the factory, according to initial information.
Gujranwala RPO Imran Ahmar told reporters that police were carrying out an “in-depth” investigation into the incident, and that details would be shared after collecting complete evidence.
“Action will be taken as per the law against the individuals involved in the incident,” he said, adding that it would be premature to comment on the motive before the investigation.
Videos shared on social media showed hundreds of men and young boys gathered at the site, with groups of them chanting slogans.
Speaking to the media hours after the incident alongside Special Assistant to the Punjab Chief Minister on Information Hassan Khawar and Punjab IG Rao Sardar Ali Khan, Special Representative for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi condemned the lynching on “behalf of all ulemas” and said that it had “defaced Islam”.
Ashrafi said that the country had laws when it comes to Namoos-i-Risalat (the sanctity of the Prophet). He said that those responsible for the incident had not served the country or Islam and had gone against the religion.
“The elements involved in the incident have tried to damage Islamic laws and teachings,” he said, adding that the culprits will be punished for the “barbarism”
Offering his condolences to the victim’s family, Ashrafi said that the country’s religious scholars will hold a joint press conference at a later date. “We will also go to the Sri Lankan embassy for condolences.”
He added that so far 50 people have been arrested and officials were working on identifying more culprits using CCTV footage.
Additional General Manager of Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employees Mangala Randeniya told to Lankasara that they are waiting for further information of the victim through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which is closely working with Sri Lanka mission in Pakistan.
