An angry mob charged at a man and beat him to death for allegedly making "blasphemous" remark during an opposition party's rally in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Purportedly, a video of the lynching has gone viral on social media which shows the cops trying to stop the simmering mob from battering the man.
Trigger Warning: Graphic visuals ahead; please proceed with discretion
According to a report in Times of India, the deacesed is a local cleric named Nigar Alam and was asked to give a speech at a rally organised by former PM Imran Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party on Saturday at Sawaldhar vilage in Mardan district.
Alam was killed by the fuming mob attending the rally, after he allegedly passed blasphemous remarks when the gathering was nearing conclusion.
Mob broke into a shop cleric was sheltered at
The TOI report quoted a SSP saying that the police did escort him inside a shop when they saw that the mob is infurated and might charge at Alam. However, the public broke into the shop and started landing punches and blows on him; Alam was also attacked with clubs.
Alam's body, who died on the spot, was later taken to a hospital to finish legal formalities. The SSP further said that they have filed an FIR and the police itself is the complainant but they have sealed it since the matter is sensitive.
Blasphemy huge issue in Pakistan
Reportedly, Blasphemy is a sensitive subject in the country and mob can get angered even by unproven allegations which could result in mob violence.
The country has seen several such cases with latest being one in Lahore where a mob entered a police station, snatched the blasphemy-accused from his cell and killed him.
The government has been under pressure by international as well as Pakistanti rights groups to change the blasphemy laws but the political forces continue to strongly resist such moves. The rights groups have mentioned that the accusations of blasphemy is used as intimidation tactic against religious minorities.
