A Christian man attacked by an angry mob in Punjab’s Sargodha district over alleged blasphemy last month succumbed to his injuries on Monday morning, according to local police.
Regional Police Officer (RPO) Sharik Kamal Siddiqui’s spokesperson told media Nazir Masih, who was over 70 years old, was under treatment at CMH Hospital in Rawalpindi for nine days but could not survive due to the extent of his injuries. He said Masih had two surgeries during his hospitalization, but the injuries inflicted on his head proved too severe. A postmortem of the deceased has been conducted, said the spokesperson, adding he would be buried later on Monday.
On May 25, a lynch mob in Sargodha tortured Masih for alleged blasphemy, attacked his home, damaged his belongings and torching a shoe factory established within it. They also burnt tyres and damaged electricity installations in the area.
After the incident, which local rights groups said was a result of fearmongering from the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan, police took over 100 people into custody. The victim and his family were also shifted to an undisclosed location for their safety. At the time, Sargodha Division Commissioner Muhammad Ajmal Bhatti pledged that all those involved in the incident would be brought to justice through a transparent inquiry. Resultantly, a terrorism case was registered against 44 nominated and 300-400 unidentified suspects. Per routine practice, police also registered a blasphemy case against the Christian man, despite denials of any blasphemy from his family.