Authorities with the help of Ulema were able to restore calm in Mandani area of Charsada’s Teangi Tehsil after a violent mob set fire to a police station and two checkposts. Several police vehicles were also reportedly destroyed in the violence, but no causality was reported.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Law Minister Fazal Shakoor Khan, who hails from Charsadda, was the highest official to confirm the incident while speaking to dawn.com.
Charsada District Police Officer Asif Bahadar confirmed to SAMAA Digital that one police statio, two checkposts, vehicles and record were destroyed.
Officials told SAMAA Digital the calms has been restored with the help of Ulema after the day’s events. The mob have stopped violence though they have not dispersed yet, according to SAMAA correspondent Ejaz Khalid.
The violence began on Sunday when police arrested a man for the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran and took him to Mandani’s Inspector Jahangir Khan Police Station.
Soon afterwards, a mob gathered outside the police station and demanded that the accused be handed over to them. The police officials quickly moved the detained person to a safer location.
Meanwhile, the number of people outside the police station grew and they attacked the building setting fire to it.
The police tried to resist using tear gas shells and batons, but they had to leave the police station eventually.
Later, the mob also set fire to two police checkposts in the area.
Videos purportedly from Mandani were shared by several journalists on social media.
A mob put Mandani police station on fire in Tangi tensile of Charsadda KP demanding to handover an alleged mentally deranged person accused of desecration of Holy Quran. Police has shifted the accused to another location #blasphemy pic.twitter.com/WEzOkH6yQY
— Mubashir Zaidi (@Xadeejournalist) November 28, 2021
One video shows smoke plumes and flames rising from a single storey structure as people gather around it. There is no sign of clashes though, and SAMAA Digital could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
Several others videos that SAMAA Digital received appears to be from two locations and show vehicles on fire and people rampaging through a burning building.
An earlier video, recorded during the day, shows people storming through the police station’s gate after forcing it open.
There were reports that the mob also wanted to set fire to more police checkposts but the Ulema’s help was enlisted by authorities to stop the violence and the mob ended their rampage.
Officials have also called in police force from other areas of the district.
More to follow
from SAMAA https://ift.tt/3FU6ybJ
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