Police Arrests Six More Suspects in Mian Channu Lynching Incident

The Police have arrested six more primary suspects in the lynching incident that happened in Mian Channu, where an angry mob tortured a man, identified as Mushtaq Ahmed, to death over blasphemy allegations. The lynching incident has caused widespread outrage across the country over people taking the law into their own hands.

According to Inspector General of Police (IGP) in Punjab Rao Sardar Ali Khan, the Police have arrested six more suspects involved in the incident, with the total number of primary suspects rising to 21 after this apprehension. Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the Punjab Police has confirmed that a total of 102 suspects are being interrogated in the case.

The Punjab Police had earlier registered a terrorism case against 300 unknown suspects involved in the Mian Channu lynching incident, including 33 nominated accused, in the initial report handed over to Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar.

The deceased, identified as Mushtaq Rajput, belonged to Mian Channu in Khanewal and he was reportedly suffering from mental illness, according to his brother. Mushtaq Ahmed had allegedly burned paged of the Holy Quran at a local mosque, after which hundreds of people gathered and started beating him up.

According to locals, the Police had arrived at the scene of the incident and captured Mushtaq, but the mob overpowered the police and took him back and continued torturing him before tying him to a tree and stoning him to death. However, there are several eyewitnesses who claim that the victim was mentally unstable for some time.

Condemnation and Outrage

The Mian Channu lynching incident has caused widespread outrage across the country over people taking law into their own hands, while Prime Minister Imran Khan also took notice of the incident and condemned the attack on Mushtaq Rajput.

“We have zero tolerance for anyone taking the law into their own hands & mob lynchings will be dealt with full severity of the law.” said the premier on Twitter, adding that action will be taken against the people involved as well as the police, who failed in their duty to protect the man from lynching.

Meanwhile, Chairman Pakistan Ulema Council and PM’s Special Representative for Religious Harmony, Allama Tahir Ashrafi, has also condemned the lynching of the man in Khanewal District, saying that Prime Minister Imran Khan had ordered stern punishment for those involved in the crime.

Moreover, the mother of Mushtaq, who has been killed in the Mian Channu lynching, is requesting Prime Minister Imran Khan for justice.

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