Punjab govt decides to hold trial of Sialkot lynching suspects in prison

LAHORE: The Punjab government on Saturday decided to hold trials of all the suspects involved in the Sialkot lynching of the Sri Lankan national inside prison.

The provincial government took the decision after consulting a prosecution team.

The jail administration was asked to make the necessary arrangements to hold the trial.

The prosecution also directed police to complete the required legal procedures and present the completed challans before the court as soon as possible.

Earlier, Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat told police to submit a challan of the Sialkot lynching incident in 14 days.

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Dozens of people were arrested in Sialkot after Sri Lankan factory manager Priyantha Kumara was beaten to death and set ablaze by a mob who accused him of blasphemy.

The vigilante attack has caused outrage, with Prime Minister Imran Khan calling it a “day of shame for Pakistan”.

According to the global news agency AFP, local police officials said that rumours spread that Diyawadana 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.