KASUR: The brother of the vendor who was allegedly lynched at a wedding at Pattoki a couple of days back, has submitted an application with a local court on Saturday seeking exhumation to identify the cause of death.

In response to the application, the court has summoned the parties on Tuesday next.

On March 21, cracker vendor Muhammad Ashraf was allegedly lynched by wedding guests at Aljannat Marriage Hall, Pattoki.

The incident was highlighted in the media and drew criticism when a video clip uploaded on social media showed wedding guests having dinner as the vendor’s body was lying nearby.

Sources says that after the vendor died the suspects (wedding guests) dragged his body inside the banquet hall, covered it with a white cloth, and started taking dinner.

Local police, however, denied any torture of the deceased, claiming they could not find any evidence of lynching.

Preliminary medical report of the victim also supports the police’s stance.

Nevertheless, a report submitted by the tehsil administration says the victim was tortured to death by an angry mob, accusing the vendor of pick-pocketing.

The family of the victim, however, claimed that Ashraf’s body had torture marks which were noticed by those who gave the body a bath before the burial.

The family also alleged foul play on the part of the medical officer who conducted the autopsy and added that police connived with the suspects.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2022