MARDAN: Father of Mashal Khan, who was lynched by a violent mob on the premises of Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan last month, on Wednesday alleged that his son was killed through a conspiracy hatched by the university administration and the police.

Mohammad Iqbal recorded his statement before senior civil judge Arbab Sohail under section164 of CrPc here on Wednesday.

He told the court that his son was a student of sixth semester of journalism and mass communication department of Abdul Wali Khan University. He said when police officials brought body of his son and handed it over to him on the evening of April 13, he and his wife were unable to identify the body of his son as it was severely mutilated. He also lamented that the body was undressed and was just wrapped in a piece of cloth.

“When I asked the police officials why his son was so brutally killed, they told me that his son had committed blasphemy that was why he was murdered,” he added. However, he said he got to know about what actually happened on the second day of his funeral.

Records statement before Mardan civil judge

Mr Iqbal pointed out that a Pashto language TV channel had aired an interview of Mashal Khan a few days before his killing in which he had raised voice against the varsity administration for alleged irregularities and corruption.

Similarly, he said his son had not only launched an agitation but also organised a protest camp against the university management.

In his statement, Mashal’s father alleged that the university administration had hatched a conspiracy to murder his son to punish him for being vocal and conceal irregularities, corruption and other illegal activities.

Mr Iqbal said his son was killed by a violent mob in the presence of a heavy contingent of university security staff and police personnel.

He deplored that the killing conspiracy had started on the night before his son’s murder, but neither the university administration nor the district administration, including DIG, DPO and DC Mardan, had taken timely action to prevent the grisly occurrence.

In his statement, Mr Iqbal said all those officials of the university and police who could be seen in the video footages were involved in the killing conspiracy of his son.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2017