One of the Sri Lankan managers of a factory in the Punjab region was beaten to death and set on fire by the mob on Friday evening, his attackers accused him of tearing up a religious poster. This Saturday, December 4, local authorities announced the arrest of nearly 120 people, including several of the main suspects.
The victim of the lynching, Priyantha Kumara had taken refuge on the roof of her textile factory. His attackers dragged him to the street, beat and tortured him to death, then set his body on fire. Hundreds of people took part in or passively witnessed the violence. According to a spokesperson for the Punjab authorities, no less than 800 individuals were found at the scene.
They then vandalized the factory and blocked traffic before the police restored order. According to the government delegate for harmony between religions, it could be a settling of scores linked to working conditions. Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke of a shameful day for Pakistan and pledged that justice would be served.
In Sri Lanka, the victim’s country of origin, the Minister of Foreign Affairs has called for an investigation. The Amnesty International association added, specifying for its part: an independent investigation.
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Thousands of cases of accusations of blasphemy, causes of more or less serious violence are recorded each year in Pakistan. Instrumented by radical Islamist groups, they target members of religious minorities, Hindus, Christians, but also Muslims, Shiites and Ahmadis. Many of these cases are still waiting to be dealt with by justice.
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