By PTI
LAHORE: A Christian man was killed and another injured in clashes between the two communities over an issue of playing loud music in Pakistan’s Punjab province, which has witnessed two deaths related to mob lynching in the past two months.
The clashes broke out between Muslims and Christians in Lahore’s Factory Area, Walton following Parvez Masih, 25, asking his neighbour Sohni Malik not to play loud music, a senior police officer told PTI on Tuesday.
“On Sunday evening, the Malik group thrashed and injured Parvez’s relative Sobal Masih over the issue that caused tension between the two groups in the area,” the officer said.
“On Monday, Malik along with some people attacked Parvez Masih with bricks and clubs, killing him on the spot,” he said, quoting the FIR.
He said both Masih and Malik had exchanged harsh words at a snooker club a day before over the incident.
The clash between the two communities continued for a while before police reached the spot and controlled the situation.
Both sides threw bricks at each other causing minor injuries to some people, the officer said, adding the (Muslim) suspects had also opened fire in the air.
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Following the death of Masih, who was a lone brother of seven sisters, the Christians of the area held a protest against the assailants and demanded their immediate arrest.
They ended the protest after the senior police officers assured “strict action” against the culprits.
“We have arrested three main suspects after registering a case against over 200 people for their suspected involvement in the clashes between the Christian and Muslim groups of the area that resulted in death of a Christian man,” the officer said.
Heavy contingent of police has been deployed in the area to avert further clash between the two groups.
Police officer Essa Sukhera told reporters that Sunday night scuffle between some members of the Christian community and locals (Muslims) resulted in a bloody clash on Monday.
“In Sunday’s clash Sobal Masih got injured and an FIR was registered against the attackers.
The suspects nurtured a grudge against Masih family for reporting the matter to the police and again attacked some relatives of Masih on Monday that resulted in the death of Parvez Masih,” he said.
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On Sunday, an enraged mob attacked and injured a Shia scholar for allegedly burning the pages of a religious book in Faislabad district in the province, where a middle-aged mentally challenged man was stoned to death a day earlier over charges of blasphemy.
On Saturday, mentally challenged Mushtaq Ahmed, a resident of Bara Chak village, was stoned to death and his body hung from a tree by a mob of over 300 people for allegedly desecrating Holy Quran in Khanewal district in the province, sparking nationwide outrage.
The incident was a grim reminder of Sialkot lynching of Sri Lankan nation Priyantha Kumara, 47, whose body was set on fire over allegations of blasphemy in last December.
According to the 2017 census, Hindus constitute the largest religious minority in Pakistan.
Christians make up the second largest religious minority. The minorities in the Muslim-majority Pakistan often complain of harassment by the extremists.
