In response to the district police chief, Babar Sarfraz Alpa, the mob had accused Waris of pasting pictures of himself, his spouse and a knife on pages of the guide, displaying and throwing them within the streets.

Costs of blasphemy carry the demise penalty beneath Pakistani regulation.

Officers mentioned the mob stormed the Warburton police station on Saturday. Some used a picket ladder to climb a wall and open the principle gate, permitting the mob to enter. By the point police reinforcement might attain the scene to save lots of the prisoner’s life, the mob had already lynched him and have been about to burn his physique. Police dispersed the gang.

On Monday, Alpa mentioned police have arrested not less than 50 individuals for collaborating within the assault. He mentioned extra raids are underway to arrest different alleged contributors.

Worldwide and Pakistani rights teams say accusations of blasphemy have typically been used to intimidate spiritual minorities and settle private scores. Pakistan’s authorities has lengthy been beneath strain to alter the nation’s blasphemy legal guidelines, one thing the Islamists strongly resist.

The slain man, Waris, was arrested in 2019 on a blasphemy cost and was in jail till mid-2022.

Police say Waris once more desecrated the Quran, and that some witnesses grabbed and beat him. Police took Waris into custody. However the mob later attacked the police station and killed him, saying they have been punishing him for insulting the Quran.

A press release mentioned authorities have sacked the police station chief and the world deputy superintendent for negligence in failing to stop the assault.

Related Press author Munir Ahmed contributed to this story from Islamabad