LAHORE, Oct 31: A large number of protesters including religious groups’ activists ransacked a private school’s three buildings and torched owner’s car allegedly on charges of committing blasphemy in Ravi Road area on Wednesday.

It was alleged that the private school administration had distributed a paper among the students, which carried derogatory remarks about the Holy Prophet (PBUH) a few days ago.

Police have registered a case against the schoolteacher and the principal under section 295-C (blasphemy) of Pakistan Penal Code.

The principal has been booked and arrested under abetment charges because he did not take any action, when the incident came into his knowledge. Sources said both the teacher and the principal were in police custody. The police have also registered a case against unidentified protesters for taking law into their hands.

Sources in the police told Dawn that the protesters including religious groups’ activists took law into their hands and ransacked school’s three buildings and burnt owner’s car without investigating the issue.

Sources alleged that the case had been built on the basis of a photocopy, which carried derogatory remarks about the Holy Prophet. They claimed that the photocopy was of a book, of which a page was torn and the available pages’ text became blasphemous. Sources alleged that the person, who distributed the photocopy, had also translated the available English text into Urdu.

The residents of Ravi Road area had besieged the school building late on Tuesday night and continued to protest on Wednesday and eventually torched owner’s car and ransacked school’s three buildings in the area. The fire brigade was denied access to the area. A heavy contingent of police also clashed with protesters.

MNA Mian Marghoob and MPA Khwaja Imran Nazir urged the protesters to let the police investigate the matter. They assured the protesters that the government would also hold an inquiry into the incident and all those involved would be brought to book. —  Staff Reporter