26 Arrested In Mardan Varsity Case; Evidence Of Blasphemy Not Found Yet: IGP

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Apr, 2017 ) : Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police (IGP), Salahuddin Khan Mehsud on Monday said the police had so far arrested 26 accused while investigating the murder of Khan Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan.

Addressing a press conference here at Central Police Office, he said no evidence of alleged blasphemy was found against Mashal and his friends so far. He said the investigation officers could not find anything on social media about alleged blasphemy levelled against Mashal Khan and his friends, but after the incident several activities were noticed that compelled the police to seek FIA's help.

The IGP said the case would be probed on scientific lines and hoped that Mardan police would give some positive result in the case. He told media that the case started when two students of the varsity accused Mashal Khan and his two friends Zubair and Abdullah for allegedly committing blasphemy.

He said that the varsity administration kept the police and district administration uninformed about the accusations and severity of the issue and constituted an inquiry committee to probe from Mashal Khan and his two friends at their own.

He said Mashal Khan and Zubair did not appear before the committee while Abdullah appeared. The Police Chief said that the police and district administration were not informed of the day of inquiry despite the fact that the situation was very critical and serious.

The committee comprising faculty members and the university students were holding the inquiry when the mob of students started vandalism leaving the situation out of university administration's control.

The faculty members and some students kept Abdullah in washroom to avoid him from harm at the hands of agitating mob. Meanwhile DSP Sheikh Maltun got information of unrest and reached the spot at 12.15 pm.

However, he said, the protestors managed to break the door of washroom and took Abdullah out and started beating him in administration block. The IGP said that DSP protected Abdullah from the mob's reaction and took him in the police van away from the campus.

Abdullah received some wounds as result of the attack. Meanwhile reinforcement of the police was called at the campus to control the situation. When SP and DSP reached the administration block they heard a fire shot from Hostel No.1 adjacent to Administration Block.

When police squad reached there the dead body of Mashal Khan was lying on the floor and the agitating mob wanted to desecrate his dead body. He said the police intervened and took the dead body from the agitating mob by force using baton charge and tear gas.

He said 59 students including some having blood stains on their clothes were arrested from the spot. The IGP said that 20 persons were named in the case, out of them 16 were apprehended immediately, while six were arrested on the basis of further intelligence and interrogation. He said that Abdullah had recorded his statement in the court today.