HYDERABAD: A number of residents of various localities of Tando Allahyar city and activists of religious parties took to the streets against alleged desecration of the Holy Quran and attacked the home-cum-worship place of a man belonging to the Ahmedi community for his involvement in the alleged sacrilege.

The charged crowd rushed to Tahir Ahmed’s place and went on the rampage in the worship place on the ground floor. He took refuge on the upper floor, where his family lived, and the crowd did not pursue him there.

A heavy contingent of police and Rangers arrived at the spot and detained Mr Ahmed while protesters threw stones at the suspect and injured him.

According to sources, 12-year-old Salman was coming from a seminary in Mansoor Colony, Tando Allahyar city, when he was intercepted by two men riding a motorbike and snatched the Quran from him and beat him up.

Salman crying went back home and told his family and others that Mr Ahmed and an unknown man riding a motorbike had roughed him up and snatched the Quran and desecrated it.

Then a big charged crowd gathered and chanted slogans against the suspect and reached his home in Mansoor Colony. Salman lives in the neighbourhood of the suspect. The crowd went on the rampage on the ground floor of the house, said to be a small worship place.

A heavy contingent of police and Rangers arrived there and arrested Tahir Ahmed and took him to the A-Section police station of Tando Allahyar, where the crowd threw stones at the suspect and demanded registration of  a case against the suspect.

An FIR (68/2014) was registered on a complaint of Qari Mohammad Ayub Siddique, Salman’s paternal uncle, under Sections 295-b, 337-A-1 and F-1 against the two suspects at the A-Section police station.

The protesters burnt tyres and resorted to firing in the air, forcing traders to shut their businesses. Tando Allahyar was tense till late in the night.

A couple of Ahmedi families live in Mansoor Colony and many more families of the community live across Tando Allahyar district. After the registration of the case, the crowd dispersed.

Tando Allahyar DSP Noor Mohammad Marri told Dawn that a  case was registered and a suspect arrested.

He said that according to Tahir Ahmed’s wife, Salman and their son had fought over some petty matter in the afternoon .

Tando Allahyar SSP Javed Baloch told Dawn that police were investigating the case from different angles and had beefed up security measures for the Ahmedi community in Tando Allahyar and were patrolling the streets also.

According to sources, it was rumoured that some people wanted to grab Tahir’s house.