New Delhi, February 13: A mob in Pakistan's Punjab province tortured and killed a man accused of desecrating the Holy Quran, The Express Tribune reported. As per details, the local police, in order to prevent themselves, allegedly allowed the accused to leave the police station in Mian Chunnu, Khanewal district, where the mob was present, the report said.

The victim was dragged to a nearby place, tortured and killed, whereas the police allegedly played the role of silent spectator. Saturday's incident took place in Jungle Dera village where hundreds of loc­als gathered after Magh­rib pra­yers following annoucements that a man had torn some pages of the Holy Quran and later set them on fire. Mob Lynching in Pakistan: Sri Lankan Citizen Lynched in Punjab Province Over Blasphemy.

With no one ready to listen to the suspect, who rep­orte­dly claimed innocence, the villagers first hanged him on a tree and then hit him with bricks, until he died, Dawn news reported. This is not the first incident of citizens becoming judges, jury and executioners.

In November last year, a mob had vandalised a police station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Charsadda district and set it on fire after authorities refused to hand over a man arrested earlier for allegedly desecrating the Holy Quran, The Express Tribune reported. On December 3, 2021 in Sialkot, a Sri Lan­kan engineer was lynched by factory workers on blasphemy charges, Dawn reported.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 13, 2022 11:49 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).