CBRN event in Balochistan, Quetta area, Pakistan on Thu 12th September 2024

A man accused of blasphemy was shot dead inside a police lockup by a Policeman in Cantt Police Station of Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, reports The Balochistan Post. The Policeman, identified as Constable Syed Khan, was arrested following the incident. The victim was arrested a day earlier on allegations of blasphemy made through Facebook, following a protest by religious clerics on the Western Bypass in Quetta. Initially, the accused was taken to the Kharotabad Police Station, where the situation escalated due to large crowds of clerics and religious students gathering outside the station. Protesters belonging to the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and other religious parties had blocked traffic on the western bypass by placing burning tyres on the road and staged rallies in several parts of the provincial capital. Protesters, chanting slogans such as “One punishment for blasphemers, beheading,” tried to storm the Kharotabad Police Station. They broke through the main gate in an attempt to reach the building. In response, Police fired warning shots and used tear gas to disperse the crowd. Protesters also hurled a hand grenade at the Kharotabad Police Station. The grenade, however, exploded outside the police station. No human loss was reported in the attack. The accused was later transferred to the Cantt Police Station, where he was killed by the Police constable in custody.