SAHIWAL: Two teenagers had a fight in the Ghala Mandi area and the father of one of them was arrested in a blasphemy case. A madressah in the neighbourhood also got involved in the incident.

Ghala Mandi police registered the FIR against the man under sections 298, 298-A, 506 of the PPC and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). The complaint was lodged by a local man.

Ghala Mandi SHO Amir Farooq Gujjar told Dawn that the locals and prayer leaders from the Jamia Rasheeda, a seminary in the locality, held a protest outside the police station, chanting slogans against the suspect.

The issue started over a minor dispute between a 17-year-old boy and his 18-year-old friend on Monday afternoon. The former called his father for assistance and both father and son started beating the other boy. The scuffle ended after involvement of neighbours.

According to the FIR, the father of the boy who was involved in the scuffle made derogatory remarks about the companions of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) during the fight. A mob soon gathered in front of his house, with some local clerics raising chants in defence of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

The Ghala Mandi police rushed to the scene and the DSP and the SHO held talks with the protesters.

Later, a meeting was held at the police station with local elders and clerics who were leading the mob, still chanting slogans outside the police station.

After two hours of negotiations, led by DSP Rana Iftikhar, police registered a blasphemy case against the suspect on the report of a local man who was not related to the boys invovled in the fight.

The suspect was arrested and ATC Special Judge Ziaullah Khan sent him on four-day physical remand.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2024