Sikh turban case: Five of 6 men held, remanded into custody

Lahore, May 3

Five of the six men booked under the blasphemy law for throwing a Sikh man's turban to the ground during a scuffle at a bus terminal in Pakistan's Punjab Province have been arrested with a court today remanding them into police custody.

Police had registered an FIR against six people under blasphemy law on the complaint of Mahinder Paal Singh, a resident of Multan district of Punjab.

Rashid Gujjar, Baqir Ali, Faiz Alam, Shakeel and Snawal were produced before a district court in Chichawatni and police obtained a three-day physical remand.

"The sixth suspect -- Haji Riyasat -- is at large and we are carrying out raids at his whereabouts for his arrest," Khaizer Hayat, Chichawatni city police incharge, said.

Police on Sunday had registered an FIR under Sections 295 (blasphemy), 506 (hurling threats) and 148 of Pakistan Penal Code against the six suspects under blasphemy law.

Singh told police that he was travelling last week from Faisalabad to Multan by a bus owned by Kohistan-Faisal Movers when it developed a fault near Dijkot.

The driver fixed the fault but the bus speed was very slow and it took five hours to get to Chichawatni bus terminal.

"The arguments over the issue led to a scuffle between the company's staff and the passengers. During the fight a bus terminal hawker, Rashid Gujjar, threw my turban on the ground and others manhandled me. Turban is considered sacred in the Sikh religious code and throwing it on the ground is tantamount to desecration," Singh had said. — PTI