Mobs torch shops in Pakistan after Hindu doctor accused of blasphemy

Violent protests erupted in Phulhadiyon area of Mirpurkhas in Sindh province after a Hindu veterinary doctor, Ramesh Kumar, was accused of blasphemy.

Although the doctor was arrested on Monday, extremists were angry and set fire to Hindu owned shops in the area and burned tyres on the roads.

The police registered a blasphemy case against the doctor who was taken into custody as there was fear that he may be harmed by the mob.

Kumar was accused of blasphemy after a man alleged that he had dispensed medicines wrapped in paper that he claimed “had Quranic verses printed on them”.

The man who had received these medicines for his livestock informed a local cleric, Mohammad Ishaq Nohri, who registered a complaint with Phuladiyon police in Sindhri police station, said Mirpurkhas DIG Saqib Ismail Memon. Nohri claimed he found damaged pages of Islamic books at the vet’s clinic.

As word spread about the incident, riots broke out in the area, according to Memon. A mob burned down the doctor’s shop, which belonged to his brother.

PASHTUN MP ACCUSES OFFICIALS OF LYING

Parliamentarian Moshin Dawar, a member of the Pashtun Protection Movement, has accused authorities of lying about a violent clash between Pashtun activists and security forces over the weekend.

He disputed claims by the military that activists assaulted the military during a protest near a checkpoint along the Afghan border on Sunday, saying security forces fired into the unarmed crowd. Dawar claimed that at least 13 people were killed by the firing.

First Published: May 30, 2019 11:02 IST