KASUR: In a shocking and heartbreaking incident in Punjab’s Kasur, a poor vendor was allegedly tortured to death by wedding guests for selling rice crackers inside the marriage hall.
The videos of the incident that went viral on social media show that the body of the vendor, identified as Ashraf alias Sultan, is lying on the floor while the guests are having their meal.
After the videos viral on social media, Punjab Police took action and arrested 13 people, including the wedding hall manager in connection with the killing.
According to the first information report (FIR) of the incident, the rice cracker vendor, Mohammad Ashraf, got into a dispute with guests at a wedding procession in Pattoki, after which he was beaten up and dragged inside the wedding hall.
The FIR was registered at Pattoki police station by the deceased’s brother-in-law, Parvez, under section 147 (punishment for rioting), section 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of the offense committed in prosecution of common object), and 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Pattoki Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Asif Hanif told the media that the incident was “very unfortunate”. The DSP said he formed teams when he got to know of the incident and 13 suspects were arrested who were being interrogated.
Punjab Inspector General of Police Rao Sardar Ali Khan took notice of the incident and directed Kasur District Police Officer (DPO), Sohaib Ashraf, to immediately arrest the culprits.
Ashraf’s brother-in-law Pervez said he was riding a motorbike with his friends outside the wedding hall when he saw the incident and tried to rescue him but failed.
The police, in a statement, said that the doctors did not confirm torture in the initial postmortem report, however, every aspect of the incident is being investigated.
It added that the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) team has collected evidence from the crime scene.
Meanwhile, DPO Kasur said that they have collected other evidence including CCTV cameras and videos, with the help of which all aspects are being investigated.
Punjab Chief Minister Usman Bazdar has also sought a report from the police authorities.
