RAWALPINDI: A Christian man, who was badly injured in a mob attack in Sargodha after being accused of committing blasphemy, died late on Sunday night after fighting for his life at a hospital for eight days.

Nazir Masih, 70, had sustained head injuries before he and other Christians were rescued by police amid violence by an enraged mob in Sargodha’s Mujahid Colony, over alleged desecration of the Holy Quran on May 25.

Police claimed they rescued the man, as well as two Christian families from the enraged mob that wanted to lynch them and barge into the homes of some other members of the minority community in the area.

A senior official said the man was rescued and shifted to a hospital in Rawalpindi, where he twice underwent surgery. However, he breathed his last on late Sunday night.

His family later shifted the body to their residence in Mujahid Colony, where his funeral prayers were offered on Monday. A heavy police contingent was present during the funeral, while police were also deployed to guard his house.

One of Nazir’s relatives, Irfan, told Dawn that the funeral prayers were offered in the same street where his uncle was attacked. He said the family of the deceased was present at their home in Mujahid Colony and police had been deployed for their security.

The body was later taken to the Gillwala graveyard for burial.

DPO Assad Malhi said the body was first taken to Sargodha district hospital for a post-mortem examination, after his death in Rawalpindi. He said security was provided during the funeral prayers to avert any untoward incident.

The officer disclosed that murder charges were added alongside terrorism and other offences attracted in the case, following Nazir’s death.

Police had rounded up several suspects and booked hundreds after the violence, stemmed from the allegation that some locals had seen burnt pages of the Holy Quran outside Nazir Masih’s house.

Imran Gabol in Lahore also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2024