FAISALABAD: A 'blasphemy' case has been registered against 55 Christians, 35 of them nominated, and a Muslim on the allegation of desecrating hundreds of Muslim graves at Chak 206-GB.

It is learnt that the Christians flattened the graves after being informed by a local politician that the graveyard land had been allotted for their community.

The Muridwala police, on a complaint, registered a case (316/14) under sections 295-C, 506-B, 447, 148 and 147 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The applicant said several people came to the graveyard by tractors and demolished 400 to 500 graves on Tuesday last. The vandals, he said, wanted to occupy the land and the area people foiled the bid.

He said the armed men hurled life threats at the villagers on resistance.

The suspects also cut down a number of trees and took them away.

The Muridwala station house officer told Dawn it was an old graveyard which had no more space and Muslims were using another graveyard. He said eight of the suspects had been sent on judicial remand.

He said all nominated accused had secured pre-arrest bails. The police had mistakenly added Section 295-C to the FIR that had now been replaced with appropriate Section 297 of the PPC, he added.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2014