SWAT: A mob lynched a local tourist—who had been arrested for the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran—inside the Madyan police station in Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday night, police said.
The man was apprehended by individuals and handed over to the police after some people announced in a market that he had committed blasphemy. The police brought him to the Madyan police station.
But shortly afterwards, announcements were made from mosques in Madyan, a known tourist destination in Swat, mobilizing people towards the police station in anger, which was later stormed by the mob, said the police and local residents.
The mob set fire to the suspect’s body, the police station, and a police vehicle. Witnesses reported that the mob demanded the suspect be handed over to them, and when the police refused, the mob forced their way into the station. Police officials fled to save themselves while calling for reinforcements to manage the tense situation.
“People set fire to the police station and a police vehicle,” said Swat DPO Dr. Zahidullah, adding that the man was “burnt alive.” Eight people were also injured in the incident.
Police officials stated that the suspect, whose identity was yet to be confirmed, was not from Swat and was staying at a local hotel. Media reports suggested the deceased was a tourist from Sialkot.
The DPO said an investigation was underway to establish the facts.
Videos of the incident circulating on social media were horrifying: some clips showed the Madyan police station on fire, while others depicted a large crowd surrounding the motionless body of the deceased before it was doused with fuel and set on fire.
KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur took notice of the incident and directed the provincial police chief to submit a report. He also instructed the inspector general to take immediate steps to control the situation that had developed in the wake of the mob attack.
This is the second incident of someone being lynched on suspicion of blasphemy in recent weeks; a man was killed in Sargodha last month over similar allegations.
This marks the first incident of its kind in Malakand division, though similar incidents have been recorded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the past.
In April 2017, Mashal Khan, a student in Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan, was lynched by the mob following blasphemy accusations. On March 29, 2022, a female teacher was fatally attacked with knives on her throat in Anjumabad area of Dera Ismail Khan on charges of blasphemy.
Similarly, on May 7, 2023, Maulana Nigar Ali was killed during a political rally in Sawal Dher area of Mardan due to anger over blasphemy allegations.
In November 2021, a mob attacked and set fire to Mandani police station in Charsadda district after police refused to hand over the accused of blasphemy to the angry mob, which demanded that authorities surrender a man arrested for allegedly desecrating the Holy Quran. According to the police, the person who allegedly torched the Holy Quran was apparently mentally deranged.
