Pakistan Punjab Inspector General (IG) of Police Dr Usman Anwar on Saturday suspended two senior cops for failing to prevent the mob lynching of a man over blasphemy allegations in Nankana Sahib, as per a Punjab Police statement.

According to a report by Dawn, the IG took notice of the killing of a person accused of “desecrating the Quran”, as viral videos circulating on social media purportedly showed a violent mob outside a police station in Nankana Sahib.

In one of the videos, the mob can be seen scaling the large gates of what appeared to be the Warburton Police Station, and opening it, after which the rowdy crowd outside storms the building, Dawn reported.

As per reports, a violent mob stormed into the police station in Pakistan’s Punjab province, grabbed an accused arrested of blasphemy charges, dragged him out, stripped him naked, hanged him and then set him on fire.  This incident occurred on Saturday afternoon at Nankana Sahib’s Warburton Police Station

Another video showed young children (purportedly part of the mob), smiling inside the police station, as broken glass and overturned furniture could be seen strewn about.

The police statement said the IG has suspended Nankana Sahib Circle Deputy Superintendent of Police Nawaz Waraq and Warburton Station House Officer Feroz Bhatti. 

The IG further directed the Internal Accountability Branch DIG Syed Muhammad Amin Bukhari and Special Branch DIG Raja Faisal to reach the spot and submit an inquiry report.

“No one is allowed to take the law into their hands no matter how influential they are,” Dawn quoted the IG as saying.

“Strict department and legal action will be taken against those responsible for the incident, as well as the perpetrators of negligence and incompetence,” the IG said.

Notably, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an investigation.

“Why didn’t the police stop the violent mob? The rule of law should be ensured. No one should be allowed to influence the law,” he was quoted as saying by a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC), Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, condemned the incident, saying it was regrettable the way the charged mob attacked the blasphemy accused, Dawn reported.

“Inhuman torture and killing a person accused of blasphemy and attacking the police station is regrettable and condemnable,” Ashrafi said in a tweet.

Image courtesy: Screengrab via Dawn