A medical officer, Dr. Shahnawaz Kumbhar, accused under blasphemy laws, was reportedly killed in an alleged police encounter near Sindhri town early Thursday morning.
Kumbhar had faced an FIR for posting offensive remarks about the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on Facebook, leading to widespread protests in Umerkot and surrounding areas.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Umerkot, Asif Raza Baloch, initiated the FIR after riots erupted, assuring demonstrators that action would be taken against the accused swiftly due to the outrage his posts had incited in the community.
The police stated that Dr. Kumbhar was killed during a confrontation involving teams from both Umerkot and Mirpurkhas. Following his death, an angry mob reportedly burned his body after his relatives declined to claim it. Many on social media supported the police’s actions, asserting that Kumbhar’s posts had deeply hurt the sentiments of many.
However, some human rights activists criticized the police for the encounter, arguing that Kumbhar should have been brought to trial instead of being killed. In response to threats against Kumbhar’s family in their village of Jhaniero, community leaders called for their protection, emphasizing that they had disowned him after his death.
Woman gets death penalty in blasphemy case:
In a separate case, a woman was sentenced to death by a Special Court in Islamabad for uploading blasphemous content on social media.
Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka also imposed a seven-year prison sentence on another individual in a related case. Fines of Rs300,000 and Rs100,000 were levied under Sections 295-C and 11 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), respectively. The court allowed the accused to appeal within 30 days.
