Dozens identified & arrested over horrific killing of Sri Lankan in Pakistan

UPDATE: A spokesperson of the Punjab government, Hasaan Khawar has told the media that more than 100 suspects have been arrested so far in connection with the mob lynching. Some of them were identified through CCTV footage.

A total of 50 individuals have been identified and arrested after mob in Sialkot on Friday mercilessly killed a Sri Lankan man and burnt his body, Reuters quoted a Pakistani provincial government spokesperson.

The incident took place on Wazirabad Road in Sialkot, where it was reported that a group of workers of private factories tortured the victim to death and burnt his remains.

The deceased was later identified as Priyantha Kumara, who worked as a manager of a factory of the industrial engineering company.

Gruesome video clips shared on social media showed hundreds of people gathered in the streets of Sialkot, one of Pakistan’s most industrialized regions and an angry mob brutally trashing the factory manager while jeering religious slogans.

The Sri Lankan manager was murdered for allegedly tearing down a religious poster of the ultra-radical Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in which Quranic verses were inscribed.

The horrific act drew widespread condemnation from Sri Lanka and international NGO, Amnesty International, who sought intervention from the top Pakistani leadership. In an official statement issued by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Sri Lanka urged Pakistan to take necessary action to investigate and ensure justice.

Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a tweet, said, “The horrific vigilante attack on factory in Sialkot & the burning alive of Sri Lankan manager is a day of shame for Pakistan. I am overseeing the investigations & let there be no mistake all those responsible will be punished with full severity of the law. Arrests are in progress.”

-with inputs from agencies