Sialkot police presented 33 more suspects allegedly involved in the lynching of 48-year-old Sri Lankan factory manager Priyantha Kumara in the city before an anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday.
Read more: Wife of Sri Lankan man refutes blasphemy claim, demands justice for husband, kids
The suspects were presented before the court amid strict security arrangements before the ATC handed them over to the police on 17-day physical remand, said Bol News in its report.
So far, police have produced 85 suspects in the anti-terrorism court, out of which 34 will be present in the court on December 21, and 18 others will appear on December 28. The 33 suspects, who were produced before the ATC today, will be presented in the court again on January 3, 2022, the report added.
Last week, the Punjab government had decided to hold trials of all the suspects named in the case inside the prison and asked its administration to make the necessary arrangements for it. The provincial government took the decision after consulting a prosecution team.
Sialkot lynching
Dozens of people were arrested in Sialkot after the Sri Lankan factory manager was beaten to death and set ablaze by a mob who accused him of blasphemy.
The vigilante attack that happened on December 3 caused outrage, with Prime Minister Imran Khan calling it a “day of shame for Pakistan”.
Local police officials had told AFP that rumours spread that Kumara had “torn down a religious poster and thrown it in the dustbin” and that up to 120 people had been arrested, including one of the main accused.
However, his wife, Nilushi, refuted the blasphemy claim.
“I totally reject reports that said my husband tore down posters in the factory. He was an innocent man,” she had told the BBC.
Read more: Malik Adnan dedicates award to Priyantha Kumara, people of Sri Lanka
“He was very much aware of the living conditions in Pakistan. It is a Muslim country. He knew what he should not do there, and that’s how he managed to work there for eleven years.”
