Mob tortures Sri Lankan factory worker to death in Pakistan, burns his body

A mob in Sialkot on Friday tortured a Sri Lankan man to death before burning his body, while a heavy contingent of police has been sent to the area to bring the situation under control, Pakistani media reported.

The incident took place on Wazirabad Road in Sialkot, where reportedly the workers of private factories attacked the export manager of a factory and burnt his body after killing him.

Sialkot District Police Officer Umar Saeed Malik said the man was a Sri Lankan national who used to live in Sialkot.

Videos shared on social media showed hundreds of men and young boys gathered at the site, with groups of them chanting slogans.

Most of the people surrounding the burning corpse, based on footage seen by Dawn.com, were seen recording it.

Punjab Police have not yet commented on the possible motive behind the murder, Dawn reported.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar took notice of the murder, terming it as a “very tragic incident”, while the spokesperson for Sialkot police said details would be shared with the media after initial investigation.

Buzdar has summoned a report from the inspector general of police and ordered a high-level inquiry into the matter.

“Every aspect of the incident should be investigated and a report should be submitted. Action should be taken against those who take the law into their own hands,” the chief minister said.

Punjab Inspector General of Police Rao Sardar Ali Khan also took notice of the incident and directed the Gujranwala regional police officer to reach the location immediately.

“The Sialkot DPO is present on the spot. All aspects of the incident should be investigated,” the IGP said.

Meanwhile Pakistan’s Express Tribune reported that the Sri Lankan national was lynched over blasphemy allegations. 

This lynching of the foreign national over the alleged blasphemy comes days after a mob in Charsadda, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, in Pakistan ransacked a police station and burned it down over similar allegations.

The K-P police had reportedly refused to hand over a man detained over alleged blasphemy to the mob.

A similar incident in Sialkot in 2010 had shaken the country when a mob had lynched two brothers in the presence of police, declaring them dacoits. The incident sparked shock and horror across the country as cellphone footage of the heinous murders was uploaded to video-sharing sites.

Source: DAWN/Express Tribune

--Agencies