Charsadda arson attack

On 28 November 2021, religiously motivated arsonists destroyed a police station in Charsadda District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.[1][2]

Charsadda arson attack
LocationCharsadda District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Date28 November 2021
Targetpolice officers
Attack type
arson attack
Deaths0
Injured0

Background

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In Pakistan, blasphemy is a very serious crime which carries the death penalty.[2] The Pakistani government have sentenced some prisoners convicted of blasphemy to death, but have not executed anyone.[2] Some blasphemy suspects have been lynched.[2] Domestic and international human rights groups have said that these laws can be abused and used to persecute religious minorities and to take revenge for personal reasons.[2]

Arrest of blasphemy suspect

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On 28 November 2021, police arrested an apparently seriously mentally-ill man for allegedly desecrating a Quran by tearing out some its pages.[1] He was taken to Mandani police station in Tangi Tehsil, Charsadda District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northwest Pakistan.[1]

Attack

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Later on the day of the arrest, a group of protesters, whom the police described as a mob of four to five thousand people, gathered outside the police station.[1] They demanded the police hand the suspect to them.[1] The police refused to do so, and during the night the protesters attacked the station, stealing weapons and burning the building down.[1][2] They also set fire to the vehicles in its car park.[1] The police fled, taking the suspect to an undisclosed location.[1] Following the attack, the mob set fire to a police check post on Harichand Road.[1] They blocked the road and staged a sit-in there.[1] The police dispersed them; eyewitnesses said the police used tear gas and aerial firing to do so.[1]

Reaction

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Later, local leaders of Deobandi Sunni political party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) demonstrated in Mandani bazaar, demanding the suspect be punished.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Sirajuddin (2021-11-28). "Mob sets Charsadda police station on fire after officials refuse to hand over alleged blasphemy suspect". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Mob attacks Pakistan police, fails to grab blasphemy suspect". The Independent. 2021-11-29. Retrieved 2022-03-05.