Remains of Sri Lankan lynching victim arrives from Pakistan

The charred remains of a factory manager who was lynched by a mob in Pakistan over alleged blasphemy have been brought back to Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Pakistan (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The charred remains of a factory manager who was lynched by a mob in Pakistan over alleged blasphemy was brought back to Sri Lanka on Monday.

Sri Lankan national Priyantha Kumara was assaulted by a mob of hundreds of people before being dragged onto the streets and set on fire last Friday in Sialkot, Pakistan, where he helped run a sports equipment factory. Workers at the factory accused him of desecrating posters bearing the name of Islam's Prophet Muhammad.

Sir Lankan government officials received Kumara's remains in a wooden box decorated by flower garlands, before preparations to hand over the coffin to his family to perform his last rights.

Hours before the arrival of the remains, dozens of activist and religious groups gathered before Pakistan's mission in Sri Lanka's capital of Colombo demanding justice for the victim.

“Pakistan will leave no stone unturned to apprehend those involved. They will be given very strong punishments," Pakistan's acting ambassador to Sri Lanka, Tanvir Ahmad, told reporters.

Ahmad said that Pakistan's prime minister had spoken with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to reassure him that Pakistani authorities were investigating the lynching.

Prime Minister Imran Khan in a phone call with Rajapaksa also said Pakistani police had arrested more than 100 people in connection with the killing.

In the conservative society of Pakistan, mere allegations of blasphemy can trigger mob attacks. The country’s blasphemy law carries the death penalty for anyone found guilty of the offense.