Charsadda police station set on fire by 5,000 strong mob finding alleged blasphemy suspect

In Charsadda, a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), a mob attacked and set Charsadda police station on fire on Sunday when an official refused to hand over an alleged blasphemy suspect who disrespected the sanctity of the Holy Quran, reports Dawn.

KP Law Minister, Fazal Shakoor Khan told Dawn that the alleged suspect was arrested on Sunday and later transferred to the Mandani police station in Tangi Tehsil of Charsadda.

A mob surrounded the police station and demanded to hand over the suspect to them. When the local police declined their demands, more people joined the mob and then attacked the police station. They also smashed police vehicles that were parked outside the station, according to the law minister.

He added, “The government will not allow anyone to take the law into their own hands,” he said, “the suspect who has been arrested will be proceeded against in accordance with the law.”

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The causalities from the attack have not been confirmed by the police nor the details of the blasphemy suspect. However, the Peshawar Commissioner, Riaz Mehsud said the suspect is in safe custody. The commissioner while talking to Dawn said that around 4,000-5,000 people attacked the police station.

Another police official confirmed that the police station is completely destroyed along with their important records. Police used aerial firing and tear gas to disperse the mob.

After the attack, the mob also blocked the Harichand road by staging a sit-in protest but they were later dispersed after talks with local clerics accompanied by the district administration.