Blasphemy accusation in Pakistan sparks ransacking of Hindu temple and school
- Violence erupts in the southern province of Sindh after student accuses principal of blasphemy in comments about the Muslim Prophet Mohammed
- Case is the latest to raise concern about the fate of religious minorities in the predominantly Muslim country
The violence erupted in the southern province of Sindh after a student accused the Hindu principal of blasphemy in comments about the Muslim Prophet Mohammed. The enraged crowd ransacked the school and damaged a nearby temple, a district police chief said.
The principal had been taken into protective custody and police were investigating both the alleged blasphemy and the rioters, he added.
“It seems the principal had not done anything intentionally,” said the district police chief, Furrukh Ali.
Insulting Islam’s Prophet Mohammed carries a mandatory death penalty in Pakistan, which is about 95 per cent Muslim and has among the harshest blasphemy laws in the world.
No executions for blasphemy have been carried out in Pakistan but enraged mobs sometimes kill people accused of it.