57 indicted in Pak for lynching of student

ISLAMABAD : A Pakistani anti-terrorism court on Tuesday indicted 57 people for the brutal lynching of a university student who was falsely accused of blasphemy five months ago.

Mashal Khan, who was a student of journalism at the Abdul Wali Khan University at Mardan in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, was stripped, beaten and shot by fellow students on April 13. Strict security measures were put in place around Haripur jail where the trial of the accused is being conducted. The arrested men were presented before the judge of the anti-terrorism court, who is conducting the hearings within the prison for security reasons.

All those indicted in the case pleaded not guilty. The judge also rejected the bail applications of 17 of the accused.

The next hearing will be held on Wednesday, when the prosecution and defence will present their arguments. Khan's father, Iqbal Khan, is set appear before the judge on Wednesday.

A vigilante mob, incited by rumours, had attacked Khan for allegedly "publishing blasphemous content online". The mass communication student was beaten and shot by the mob as several people filmed the lynching with their mobile phones.

A report compiled by a joint investigation team that probed the lynching said that a group within the university had incited a mob against the outspoken Khan by using the pretext of blasphemy. It added no proof was found that Khan had ever committed the offence. In Jul, the Peshawar high court had ordered the transfer of the murder case to an anti-terrorism court.