Family of blasphemy accused identifies individuals in body burning case
Sep 25, 2024
Hyderabad [Pakistan], September 25 : The family of Dr Shahnawaz Kumbhar, who was accused of blasphemy and reportedly killed in a staged encounter by the Mirpurkhas police on September 18, has identified private individuals involved in the case concerning the burning of his body.
An FIR was filed at the taluka police station in Umerkot district, based on a complaint from Muhammad Ibrahim Kumbhar, the brother-in-law of the deceased blasphemy accused, the Express Tribune reported.
Ibrahim claimed that Kumbhar was arrested by the Sindhri police in Lyari, Karachi, in front of his family and later killed in what they described as a staged encounter. He also mentioned that when they attempted to bring his body back to their village, Janhiaro, a large mob surrounded the ambulance transporting it.
He said a local prayer leader, Moulvi Ahmed Shahani, evoked the crowd to burn the body. "We later turned around the ambulance, and when it reached Kunri road, we shifted the body to my car."
The complainant also noted that they eventually took the body to their agricultural field. However, they were pursued by the mob on motorbikes. "At around 10 am on September 19, the crowd snatched the dead body from us and set it ablaze by placing dry grass over it."
He accused Shahani, Mehboob Saandh, Amjad Panhwar, Shamshad Panhwar, Noor Hassan Panhwar, Ghulam Mujtaba Panhwar, Daud Panhwar, Lakhmir Samjeo, Arshad Samejo, Meeru Samejo, Aleem Samejo, Mashooq Khaskheli, and Faqeero Palijo, among others in the FIR, as reported by the Express Tribune.
A total of 19 individuals have been named under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, including 341, 269, 297, 114, 336b, 147, 148, and 149, along with 15 unidentified persons.
The horrific incident involving the killing of a doctor and the subsequent burning of his body has sparked strong condemnation from various societal groups and human rights activists, who are also calling for action against the police involved in the staged encounter.
