SWAT: An anti-terrorism court on Monday remanded the 23 accused arrested in the Madyan lynching case to police for 10 days.

Shaukat Ahmad Khan, Special Judge of ATC-I Malakand division, pronounced the judgment.

The Madyan police had requested the court for a 30-day physical custody of the accused.

The accused were booked under sections 302, 326, 353, 436, 427, 460, 341, 186, 148,149 of Pakistan Penal Code, and 7-ATA.

However, the court only granted a 10-day remand of the accused mentioned in the FIR subject to their pre-and-post-arrest medical examination.

The court ordered the production of the accused on July 3.

On June 20, an enraged mob lynched to death a tourist, who was accused of blasphemy, allegedly burning pages of the Holy Quran. The enraged mob attacked and torched Madyan police station and took the accused away.

They killed the accused and torched his body near Madyan Bridge.

Following the lynching incident, the Madyan police filed an FIR against 2,500 persons. On June 23, the police arrested 23 accused named in the FIR.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2024