TAXILA: A suspect was taken into custody after scores of charged people — including local traders, religious leaders of different schools of thought and politicians — gathered outside the Hazro police station and raised slogans to protest against an alleged blasphemy incident.

The protesters claimed that a resident of Mohalla Hassanabad, who worked as a tailor in Meena Bazaar, had made blasphemous remarks. The suspect fled later.

Hazro, where several seminaries are located, was gripped by frenzy as a shutterdown strike was observed in all major markets in protest against the incident. A large number of people gathered outside the police station demanding his arrest.

Station House Officer Mohammad Azam assured the protesters that the suspect would be arrested soon as his whereabouts had been traced.

Later, a team of Hazro police arrested the suspect and shifted him to an undisclosed location. Investi­gation officer Sub-Inspector Zubair Hayat told Dawn that a case under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code had been registered against him and a probe had been launched.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2019