HYDERABAD: Police on Wednesday arreste two suspects who had allegedly assaulted a pastor in American Quarters area on Tuesday night.

The suspects identified as Junaid Sahito and Mudassir Navid were booked in an FIR registered at Hali Road police station under Sections 324, 147, 148, 149, 506 on a complaint lodged by Sharon John.

The pastor Shakeel Masih had complained to his community fellows last year that the suspects Saeed Sahito, Mudassir Navid and Junaid Sahito were harassing his wife. Saeed had asked his nephew Roger to bring his paternal aunt’s pictures to him as he “liked her”, he said.

Shakeel reported the matter to the community’s MPA Anthony Naveed, who complained about it to Hyderabad range DIG Sharjeel Kharal last year at a special meeting in December. The pastor had, however, avoided registration of an FIR last year and the matter kept lingering on, said reports.

Shakeel claimed that on Tuesday night when he came out of his house in Christian Colony in American Quarters area the suspects assaulted him. Two of the suspects Junaid Sahito and Mudassir Navid had now been arrested.

Meanwhile, members of Christian community staged a protest demonstration outside the DIG office on Wednesday. They said the pastor had suffered injuries in the attack.

According to the DIG’s spokesman, two suspects had been arrested and the remaining suspect would be nabbed soon. The victim had avoided registration of an FIR last year and it encouraged the suspects to keep on harassing him and his wife, he said.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2021