Punjab: Muslim extremists burn alive a mentally disabled man accused of blasphemy
Bahawalpur
(AsiaNews) - A mob of Muslim extremists, incited by local religious leaders, last
July 3 raided in a prison in Bahawalpur (Punjab) dragging a man from his cell. The
assailants poured gasoline on him and set him on fire, because previously it
was rumored that he was guilty of blasphemy. The
prison officers were unable to contain the attack of the fanatics, four
policemen were injured and several are now hospitalized in the prison. Currently
there is little information on the generality of man, burned alive with inhuman
brutality, who died as a result of serious injuries. From
preliminary reports it appears that he had mental problems and had been thrown
into a cell, while the investigators looked into the alleged violation of the "black
law". However,
rumors that he had burned the Koran spread rapidly triggering the reaction of
the fundamentalists and yet another extrajudicial killing over an alleged case
of blasphemy.
The
deputy-inspector of the district of Bahawalpur tells the story to AsiaNews. The
Chani Goth police station, said the official, received a complaint that a man
"burned pages of the Koran." The agents arrested
him and put him into a cell. Meanwhile,
some religious leaders "announced through loudspeakers that a person had
committed blasphemy against Islam". Thus,
a crowd gathered outside the prison demanding the surrender of the alleged
criminal. "They
even blocked the main road" he continues, then "they ripped open the
door and attacked the officers: I also suffered injuries in the assault."
Before
they had any information on the man - who is still unknown - or having ascertain
his mental health status and the alleged blasphemy case, the crowd doused him
in gasoline and set him on fire (pictured, a time of the fire). The
deputy inspector emphasized that extremists set fire to some vehicles parked
inside the police and "the assault continued for over two hours,"
until "the man was not completely burned."
The
body will be autopsied and investigators are awaiting the results to try to
give him an identity, so far no one has claimed the body, or reported family
members missing. Meanwhile,
human rights organizations and activists, including Masihi Foundation Pakistan and Life
for All, denounced the latest extra-judicial murder based on a rumor of
blasphemy. Many
points the finger at the police, unable to guarantee the safety of those
arrested and to contain the madness of extremist groups, which often act driven
by local religious leaders.
The
Catholic Diocese of Bahawalpur express a firm condemnation of the episiodo: Fr.
Zafar
Samuel speaks of an "inhumane act" and hopes the introduction of
initiatives "aimed at creating greater awareness about the cases of
blasphemy and associated laws." He
is echoed by the Bishop of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, according to whom "taking
the law into your own hands is not applying the law." It
is time to "introduce some changes in legislation," added Bishop. Rufin
Anthony, and to introduce laws that "protect the innocent and give security
to the persons accused and on trial." "How
much blood must still be shed - he ends - before the authorities understand
that it is time for change."
And
the mind of the Christian community turns to Asia Bibi, the 46 year-old mother
of five children, sentenced to death in November 2010 under the "black
law" and now waiting for her appeal trail, locked in solitary confinement
in Sheikhupura women's prison (in Punjab). For
her release have also mobilized the Governor of Punjab Salman Taseer and Shahbaz
Bhatti, Minister for Religious Minorities: both were murdered last year, at the
hands of Islamic extremists. Pope
Benedict XVI launched an appeal for the liberation of Asia Bibi, tried
physically and morally by long imprisonment.
The
blasphemy laws in the last 20 years have resulted in attacks against entire
communities, as occurred in Shantinagar and Multan (1997), or in the recent
past in Gojra (2009), with deaths and dozens of homes burned. According
to data from the National Commission for
Justice and Peace of the Catholic Church (NCJP), from 1986 to August 2009
at least 964 people were charged with desecrating the Koran or defaming the
Prophet Muhammad. Among
these 479 were Muslims, 119 Christians, 340 Ahmadis, 14 Hindus and 10 from
other religions. It
also provides a pretext for attacks, personal vendettas or extra-judicial
killings: about 35 so far, made by individuals or mobs as in this case.
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