PESHAWAR - A man was lynched by a mob over allegation of desecrating the Holy Quran in Swat on Thursday. The accused reportedly hailed from Sialkot, and was taken into custody by the police and shifted to the Madyan police station. However, the local enraged population stormed the police station. According to the DPO Swat, Zahidullah, the police had detained the suspect to prevent further escalation of public anger. Despite this, the protesters surrounded the police station, causing extensive damage to the property and police vehicles. The enraged mob forcibly took out the accused from police custody, dragged him on to the road, and lynched him. The situation in Madyan remained tense, with local markets closed and the Kalam Road blocked by protesters till the filing of this report. Last month, a mob had stormed several houses, broke windows, and torched household belongings in Punjab’s Sargodha district over allegations of Quran desecration.
In December 2021, a crowd in Sialkot had lynched a man before burning his body over alleged blasphemy.