An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday directed the local police to constitute a medical board and submit a detailed report regarding the mental and physical health of a man arrested on allegations of blasphemy in Chitral.
On Friday, an angry mob attacked and beat the man inside the historical Shahi Mosque in Chitral after he was accused of making blasphemous remarks during Friday prayers.
The mosque's imam, fearing for the man's life, handed him over to the police.
The crowd turned violent after the blasphemy accused was handed over to the police and ransacked a police station. They also torched the vehicle of the imam.
Chitral Town police booked the man on charges of blasphemy and terrorism, and produced him before a ATC for physical remand.
The ATC judge rejected the request for physical remand of the accused and ordered them to submit a medical report. The judge also instructed the concerned authorities to form a medical board for a detailed report on the accused’s physical and mental state.
Special security arrangements were also made on the occasion and the man was shifted to jail after the hearing.
Tension continued to grip the district as a large number of people marched and tried to reach Chitral Town to protest against the accused.
District administration has imposed Section 144 to prevent any untoward incident from happening. Security was also put on high alert and Frontier Corp personnel were deployed to entry and exit points deemed sensitive.
Chitral Deputy Commissioner Shahab Hamid Yousafzai told DawnNews that police have made dozens of arrest for attacking the police station and torching the vehicle of the mosque’s imam.
