Colombo, Dec 4 (UNI) Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister Namal Rajapaksa on Saturday termed the brutal murder of one of its islanders in Pakistan as "incomprehensible" and said such incidents can happen to anyone "if extremist forces are allowed to act freely".
In a tweet, Rajapaksa said,"The brutal murder of Priyantha Diyawadana by extremist mobs in Pakistan is incomprehensible. While I appreciate PM @ImranKhanPTI's promise to bring those responsible to justice, we should be mindful that this could happen to anyone if extremist forces are allowed to act freely."
A frenzied mob in Sialkot in Pakistan tortured a Sri Lankan factory manager to death and then burnt his body in public allegedly over allegations of blasphemy. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has termed it "a day of shame", even as Punjab Police said they have arrested 100 suspects.
The incident took place on Wazirabad Road in Sialkot on Friday. The Sri Lankan, identified as Priyantha Kumara, was a senior manager at a leading Sialkot factory that manufactures and exports sports products.
Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry has demanded “required action to investigate and ensure justice” while Amnesty International has called for an independent investigation into the incident saying the environment enabling abuse must be rectified.
The Sri Lankan apparently tore up a poster of the hardline Islamist party, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in which Quranic verses were inscribed and threw it in the dustbin.
The poster of the Islamist party was pasted on a wall adjoining Kumara’s office. Some factory workers saw him removing the poster and spread the word.
Rumours of blasphemy spread among the factory workers and they first came out of the installation to protest on the road. The mob then re-entered the factory and tortured the victim, beating him to death.
After killing the manager, the mob then dragged the body out and set it on fire in the middle of a road.
The employees also vandalised the factory and blocked traffic, according to police. Upon receiving a report of the incident, a heavy contingent of police reached the spot and tried to control the situation.
In 2010, a similar lynching had taken place in Sialkot, when an angry mob lynched two brothers -- declaring them as dacoits -- in the presence of police.
UNI VP RNJ