More than 200 booked for anti-Hindu riots in Ghotki

More than 200 booked for anti-Hindu riots in Ghotki

Ghotki (Staff Report/Agencies): Police have registered a case against a more than 200 people who vandalized a Hindu temple in the city after an alleged case of blasphemy.

According to official sources, three separate cases have been filed in which a total of 218 people have been nominated.

The case was registered against 43 people for attacking the temple under sections 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship, with intent to insult the religion of any class), 147 (rioting) and 149 (connivance) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Of these 45, officials said, 22 people have been identified while 23 remain unidentified.

In the second case, 150 people – 27 identified and 123 unidentified – have been accused of blocking roads and disrupting vehicular traffic.

A total of 23 people – 12 identified and 11 unidentified – have been nominated in the third case which pertains to ransacking and damage to property.

On Saturday, a student accused the principal, who is a Hindu, of blaspheming against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) during a class lecture. The suspect and his family fled after the incident sparked protests in the city.