LAHORE, June 25: The attacks on Ahmadis and damage to their property by a mob at Jandu Sahi village in Daska tehsil were the result of malicious propaganda by certain elements, and no incident of desecration of the Holy Quran occured there.

A press release issued by Jamaat-i-Ahmadiyya spokesman on Sunday said this, and added that the arrest of seven Ahmadis for there involvement in the alleged desecration incident was also unjustified.

The spokesman said that old edditions of Jamaat’s magazines and some useless record was being burnt at Ahmadiyya Bait-ul-Zikr after routine cleaning of the premises, when somebody saw it from his roof-top and raised an alarm that copies of the Holy Quran were being burnt.

The `rumour’ was also spread at a fair, which was going on in the area and was largely participated by people from nearby villages. This infuriated the mob and resulted in violence against Ahmadis and their property, he claimed.

He said three Ahmadis - Nawaz, Waqar and Zahheer— were severely beaten by the mob, while 10 houses, a tractor and some shops belonging to the community were set ablaze. At least 10 Ahmadi families had to leave their houses to move to some safe places. Ahmadiyya Bait-ul-Zikr was also set on fire.

He demanded that government should take steps to avert such incidents in future.

Our Correspondent adds: Jandu Sahi village remained tense on Sunday in the wake of Sunday’s reported violence and arson incidents.

A large police contingent remained present to avert any further untoward incident in the village where hundreds of local people led by religious leaders took out a peaceful rally to protest against the alleged desecration incident, demanding stern action against the accused.

DPO Tariq Khokhar, Additional SP Ahmad Jamalur Rehman and other police officers visited the village and reviewed the security and law and order situation there.

The DPO told the newsmen that Bambaanwala police have registered a case under section 295 C against the three arrested accused, Inayat, Zaheer and Faiz, for desecration of the Holy Quran. He said the accused had been sent to the district jail.

Meanwhile, police arrested a man for involvement in another incident of alleged desecration of the Holy Quran at Zafarwal in Shakargarh Tehsil.

The FIR said that the accused, Inayat Rasul, who had recently embraced Islam, threw the Holy Quran into a drain.

On being informed, a mob caught the accused and badly thrashed him.

Later, he was handed over to police, which registered a case against him .

This was the third incident of alleged desecration in the district within a month. Sialkot Saddar police had also arrested an accused, Yusaf Ansari, from Partaanwali village for desecration of the Holy Quran on May 25, 2006. The accused is now in the district jail.