KARACHI: Police on Friday registered a blasphemy case against unidentified persons for setting fire to the office of a Christian web TV.

A fire broke out in the office of the Christian web TV located in a residential building in Akhtar Colony late on Monday night. The fire destroyed equipment, religious books and other valuables.

Almost four days after the incident, the Mehmoodabad police registered a case (FIR 428/2015) under Sections 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc.) and 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of web TV owner Sarfaraz William.

Mehmoodabad SHO Inspector Sarwar Commando said that Section 295 of the PPC was invoked as religious books had been damaged.

Section 295 of the PPC deals with blasphemy and reads: “Whoever destroys, damages or defiles any place of worship, or any object held sacred by any class of persons with the intention of thereby insulting the religion of any class of persons or with the knowledge that any class of persons is likely to consider such destruction damage or defilement as an insult to their religion, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.”

The area SHO claimed that the police were investigating the case on merit.

He said that the door of the office was locked from outside and there was no watchman. The fire officials broke open the lock to enter the premises and put out the fire, he added.

Meanwhile, a Fire Brigade official said that the information about the fire was received at 4am on Tuesday. Two fire tenders were dispatched and they managed to put out the fire in two hours.

He said computers, furniture, books and other goods were damaged in the fire. The cause of fire could not be ascertained, added the officer.

Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2015