Trial of accused in Sri Lankan man's lynching to be held in jail, says Pak officials
Story highlights
So far, the Pakistani police have arrested 131 men, of whom over 30 have been declared prime suspects
The judicial trial of suspects arrested for lynching Sri Lankan man will be held in jail, Pakistan’s Punjab government said on Saturday.
The decision to hold the trial inside the prison was reached after a meeting of the prosecution team and the Punjab government, newspaper Express Tribune reported.
The prosecution had reportedly asked the jail administration to make the necessary arrangements to conduct the trial.
So far, the police have arrested 131 men, of whom over 30 have been declared prime suspects. They were identified via CCTV footage and mobile data.
Also read | 'Murders happen': After a mob lynched a Sri Lankan man, Pakistan defence minister justified it
Sri Lankan national Priyantha Kumara was tortured to death, and then set on fire by a mob of more than 800 people, mostly belonging to radical Islamist party the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), allegedly over blasphemy accusations in the Wazirabad neighbourhood in Sialkot.
According to reports, Kumara, who worked as a manager at a factory, tore up a poster of the TLP in which Quranic verses were inscribed and threw it in the dustbin.
"The poster of the Islamist party was pasted on the wall adjoining the office of Kumara. A couple of factory workers saw him removing the poster and spread the word in the factory," a Pakistan Punjab police official said.
Hundreds of men, enraged over the "blasphemy" incident, started gathering outside the factory and tortured him to death.
The incident shell-shocked the world with Sri Lankan government condemning the extremist vigilantism and asked Pakistan Prime Minister to immediately bring the perpetrators to justice.
(With inputs from agencies)