ISLAMABAD: Inaction on the part of police in preventing the Nov 4 Kot Radha Kishan incident shocked the Supreme Court on Tuesday for which it was difficult to swallow that police did nothing to disperse the crowd that lynched a Christian couple.

“At least police could have resorted to aerial fire to disperse the crowd to save the Christian couple,” deplored Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk.

He said what was the purpose of police if they could not provide protection to citizens.

The chief justice was heading a three-judge Supreme Court bench that had taken up the tragic incident in which a mob in Kot Radha Kishan, some 60 kilometres southwest of Lahore, dragged a Christian couple to a kiln and burned them to death over alleged blasphemy.

“Whether any action was taken against the delinquent police officers or they were decorated with awards,” Justice Gulzar Ahmed, a me­­mber of the bench, observed in a sarcastic manner.

The apex court ordered strict disciplinary action against five police officers with registration of criminal cases against them for showing negligence and arrest of two out of three local religious leaders who instigated people to burn the couple on alleged blasphemy charges.

Police has already arrested Maulvi Mohammad Hussain, whereas Maulvi Noorul Hassan and Maulvi Arshad Baloch are still at large. All the three allegedly made announcements in adjoining villages that the couple was guilty of blasphemy.

The Supreme Court also ordered Superintendent Police (Investigations) Kasur Nadeem Abbas to furnish a comprehensive report on the incident that should also suggest what actions have been taken against the police officers.

District Police Officer (DPO) Kasur Jawwad Qamar was asked to appear in person before the court on Jan 15 to explain why no preventive measure was taken to avert the incident despite the fact that police was in knowledge of the campaign a day in advance against the Christian couple.

On Tuesday, Additional Advocate General Punjab Razzaq A. Mirza tried to defend police when he said the crowd consisting of 500 to 600 people had made police hostage and even tortured them but he could not satisfy the court when he was asked to provide medical reports to substantiate his claims. The law officer said Inspector General of Punjab Police Mushtaq Ahmed Sukera visited the site of the incident.

Razzaq Mirza, however, told the court that the provincial government had announced Rs5 million as compensation to the heirs of the deceased couple as well as allotment of 10 acres of land.

During the proceedings Advocate Munir Sadiq representing Yousaf Gujjar, the owner of the brick kiln where the couple was torched, told the court that his client had informed police in advance that some religious leaders were creating hatred through announcements to incite the sentiments of the people but police remained a silent spectator. The court asked the counsel to submit a written complaint in this regard.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2014