Sri Lankan foreigner beaten to death and set ablaze by mob in Pakistan

DECEMBER 4, 2021



 

A Sri Lankan foreigner was beaten to death and set ablaze by an angry mob over blasphemy charges in Pakistan, according to videos and reports.

The incident took place in Sialkot, where workers of a private factory brutally lynched the manager, a Sri Lankan national identified as Priyantha Kumara.

Kumara was the operational manager at the factory for the past seven years, according to local police sources. He was accused by the factory workers of “tearing down Durood Sharif”.

Rumours started circulating across the factory area and a mob started gathering in the morning, local authorities said.

Several gruesome video clips shared on social media showed a mob beating Kumara while chanting slogans against blasphemy. Other videos showed his body set ablaze, as well as the overturned wreckage of what was said to be his car.

Many in the mob made no attempt to hide their faces, with some even taking selfies in front of his burning corpse.

When police arrived at the scene, Kumara had already been tortured to death and his body was being set on fire. Police tried to stop the mob from setting the body on fire, but “the rioters’ strength was overwhelming,” authorities said.

Prime Minister Imran Khan took to Twitter to call out the “horrific vigilante attack” as “a day of shame for Pakistan” — promising to hold accountable all those responsible in the brutal lynching.