In Umerkot, Sindh, a mob seized the body of Dr. Shah Nawaz Kumbhar, a blasphemy suspect reportedly killed in a police encounter, and set it on fire on Friday.
This incident followed the filing of a blasphemy case against him on September 17, with news of his death emerging late on September 18 or early on the 19th.
Relatives reported that when Dr. Kumbhar’s father arrived with his son’s body in an ambulance around 4 AM, an angry crowd blocked their entry into the village. The family attempted to transport the body 40 kilometers to a nearby town for burial but faced strong opposition from the gathering. Ultimately, they decided to bring the body to a remote area on their land for burial.
During this process, the mob overpowered the family, seized the body, and set it ablaze, causing significant damage to the remains. Relatives noted that police arrived only after the body had been burned, and they began to gather for burial once law enforcement was present.
Sindh’s Interior Minister, Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar, has ordered an investigation into the incident.
The circumstances surrounding Dr. Kumbhar’s death remain unclear. SSP Mirpur Khas, Asad Chaudhry, claimed he was killed in a gunfight, asserting that Dr. Kumbhar fired upon seeing the police and was shot by his own companion.
However, a relative disputed this account, stating that Dr. Kumbhar’s father was in police custody, with his release dependent on his son’s arrest.
The family claimed they had voluntarily surrendered Dr. Kumbhar to the police in Karachi, believing their safety was now the police’s responsibility, yet he was still killed in what they describe as a staged encounter.
