Christian’s death in jail sparks riots in Sialkot

Thursday, September 17, 2009

ISLAMABAD: Christians clashed with security forces on Wednesday at the funeral of Fanish Masih who, police said, hanged himself in jail while being held on blasphemy charges. Some Christian leaders alleged he was murdered.

Fanish Masih was found dead on Tuesday in his cell in Sialkot. Jail superintendent Farooq Lodhi said the 19-year-old hanged himself using the string that held up his pants. The National Commission for Justice and Peace, a Catholic-led advocacy group, called the death an “extra-judicial murder” and demanded an investigation. Lodhi denied any crime had been committed, adding an autopsy was being conducted.

“Those who say he was killed in the jail are in fact trying to create unrest and confrontation between the Muslims and the Christians,” he said. According to the National Commission for Justice and Peace, Masih was accused of throwing a chapter of the holy Qura’an down a drain last week in Jatheki village. Muslims in the village near Sialkot responded by burning a church, and Masih was arrested the following day. About 700 people attended Masih’s funeral. Dozens of young mourners began pelting stones at nearby police, who reacted by beating the protesters with batons and firing tear gas into the crowd, an Associated Press photographer at the scene in Sialkot said.

The deceased, Fanish Masih alias Robert, was laid to rest at the Christian graveyard Mudassar Shaheed Road, Sialkot Cantt, on Wednesday afternoon as the police and outraged Muslims did not allow burial in his native graveyard in Jaithikey-Sambrial village near Sialkot.

The police officials claimed the Christians were not allowed to bury the deceased in his native village in a bid to avert any further untoward incident, especially a clash between the Muslims and the Christians.

This infuriated the protesting Christians and they staged a sit-in on the main Kashmir Road near Lorry Adda and blocked the traffic by burning tyres. They also shouted anti-government slogans. Later, the protesters also attacked some shops there. On this, police baton-charged the protesting Christians and used tear gas to disperse them.

More than 1,500 male and female Christians participated in the sit-in. They were demanding registration of a murder case against the officials of the Sialkot district jail for allegedly torturing to death Fanish Masih in jail. As many as 11 Christians, including Sohan Lal, Bashir Masih, Javed Allah Ditta, Samuel Masih, Emanuel Masih and Pitras Masih, were seriously injured during the police baton charge.

Later, the use of tear gas by the police forced the protesters to disperse. Police claimed to have arrested as many as nine Christians. A huge contingent of police from the entire Gujranwala division was called to Sialkot on Wednesday, as the police remained present in village Jaithikey-Sambrial, Sialkot city and Sialkot Cantt to avert any untoward incident.

The funeral of the Fanish Masih was held at the ground of the CT Christian High School in Bara Pathar locality of Sialkot, where hundreds of Christians, including minorities MNAs Dr Nelson Azeem, Akram Gill, Provincial Minister for Human Rights Kamran Michael, MPAs and Christian leaders attended the memorial services amid tight security.

Following a strong protest by the outraged Christian community, the Civil Lines police have registered a case under Section 319 PPC against the Sialkot district jail superintendent and other officials for dereliction of duty.

The Christians were demanding registration of a murder case against the jail officials for torturing to death the blasphemy accused in the jail. Police have not yet arrested any accused jail official in this case. Moreover, all the shops in Sambrial, Jaithikey and some parts of Sialkot city on Wednesday remained closed.

Meanwhile, Federal Minorities Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti ordered an immediate inquiry into the death of Robert Masih. Taking serious notice of the incident, the minister has directed the respective local administration and police authorities to submit reports within 24 hours. Bhatti said the death of Robert in police custody was an unfortunate and sad event, and a complete inquiry of the incident would be conducted, and facts and medical report would be made public.

Christian’s death in jail sparks protests

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Jail superintendent says autopsy being conducted

Christian lawmaker says people suspicious about cause of Fanish’s death

ISLAMABAD: Members of the Christian community clashed with security personnel on Wednesday at the funeral of a Christian man who, police said, hanged himself in jail where he was held after being accused of defiling the holy Quran. Some Christian leaders allege he was murdered.

The clashes – just weeks after eight Christians were burned to death by a mob – are a reminder of the tensions simmering among Christians in the country. Fanish Masih was found dead on Tuesday in his prison cell in Sialkot.

Jail Superintendent Farooq Lodhi said the 19-year-old hanged himself using the draw string that held up his pants. The National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), a Catholic-led advocacy group, called the death an “extra-judicial murder” and demanded an investigation.

Under progress: Lodhi denied any crime had been committed, adding that an autopsy was being conducted. According to the NCJP, Masih was accused of throwing a chapter of the Quran down a drain last week in Jatheki. Muslims in the village near Sialkot responded by burning a church, and Masih was arrested the following day.

About 700 people attended Masih’s funeral. Dozens of young mourners began throwing stones at nearby police, who reacted by beating the protesters with batons and firing tear gas into the crowd.

Suspicious: Nelson Azeem, a Christian lawmaker from Sialkot, said he did not know how Masih died but said many people in the community were suspicious.

Minority and human rights activists staged protests in Lahore on Tuesday after word of Masih’s death got out, with some carrying posters calling it a murder.

The BBC reported the Sialkot Civil Lines Police have registered a first information report against the Sialkot jail authorities under Section 319 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the application of Riasat Masih, the deceased’s father. daily times monitor/ap

Christian’s death sparks protests

16 sept 2009

Pakistani Christians have clashed with security forces at the funeral of a Christian man who police said hanged himself in jail while being held on accusations he defiled the Muslim holy book.

Some Christian leaders alleged he was murdered.

The clashes – just weeks after eight Christians were burned to death by a Muslim mob – are a reminder of the tensions simmering in religious minority communities in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where a spreading Taliban movement has fuelled Islamist extremism.

Fanish Masih was found dead on Tuesday in his cell in Sialkot, a town in Punjab province.

Jail superintendent Farooq Lodhi said the 19-year-old hanged himself using the string that held up his trousers.

The National Commission for Justice and Peace, a Catholic-led advocacy group in Pakistan, called the death an « extra-judicial murder » and demanded an investigation.

Mr Lodhi denied any crime had been committed, adding that a post-mortem examination was conducted.

« Those who say he was killed in the jail are in fact trying to create unrest and confrontation between Muslims and Christians, » he said.

According to the National Commission for Justice and Peace, Masih was accused of throwing a chapter of the Koran down a drain last week in Jatheki village. Muslims in the village near Sialkot responded by burning a church, and Masih was arrested the following day.

About 700 people attended Masih’s funeral. Dozens of younger mourners began tossing stones at nearby police, who reacted by beating the protesters with batons and firing tear gas into the crowd.

Communal tensions

Dawn Editorial

Thursday, 17 Sep, 2009

THE religious chauvinism that has become rampant in the country is nowhere in better evidence than in the case of Fanish Masih. On Friday, in village Jaithikey near Sialkot, allegations spread that Masih and four other young men had desecrated a copy of the Quran. Requiring no proof, a slavering mob burnt down a church and ransacked nearby houses. The terror felt by the area’s Christian residents was such that the entire community — some 30 Christian households amongst over a 100 Muslim homes — abandoned their dwellings and fled. Masih was found dead in his cell on Tuesday, with jail officials claiming he had committed suicide. The exact circumstances of Masih’s death are shadowy and merit a thorough inquiry: the method of ‘suicide’ described so far by the jail authorities raises many questions. Moreover, having taken him into custody, it was the duty of the authorities to keep Masih safe. The protection of all citizens is a fundamental responsibility of the state and its subsidiaries.

Outbreaks of communal tension — especially that stoked by allegations of blasphemy — can have a snowball effect. This incident comes on the heels of the tragedy in Gojra, where several Christians were killed and many homes were torched by a similarly enraged mob. The country cannot risk these attacks turning into a pogrom against minorities, particularly given suspicions that certain banned sectarian outfits had a hand in the Gojra violence. By neglecting to protect minority community members and failing to take action against rampaging mobs, the law stands in danger of signalling that such violence is tolerated by the state. As the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan pointed out in a recent statement, ‘allegations of blasphemy and defiling of religious scriptures … do not warrant vigilante attacks. Nor do they absolve the government of its primary duty to protect all citizens.’ In the Jaithikey incident, a case has been registered against unknown people for burning down the church. Effective prosecution would serve as a deterrent to future attacks of this nature. The majority Muslim community must also learn to adhere to the law and demonstrate self-restraint.

Information

Sialkot est une ville située dans la nord de la province du Pendjab au Pakistan aux pieds  du Cachemire près du fleuve Chenab. Elle se trouve à environ 125 kilomètres au nord-ouest de Lahore et seulement à quelques kilomètres de Jammu. La ville est peuplée d’environ 500 000 habitants selon une estimation de 2009. Elle est l’un des centres industriels principaux du Pakistan, connu pour la fabrication et l’exportation d’instruments chirurgicaux, d’instruments de musique, d’articles de sports, de maroquinerie, de textile et de nombreux autres produits.

~ par Alain Bertho sur 17 septembre 2009.

Publié dans émeutes, riots