‘Blasphemous’ Hindu teen arrested in Sindh

A 19-year-old Hindu boy was arrested for allegedly posting blasphemous content on social media in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, a media report said on Wednesday.

The teenager was arrested from Mirpur Khas’ Mirwah Gorchani area in the province on Tuesday after local prayer leader Mohammad Anwar Soomro filed a complaint against him, Dawn reported.

Soomro alleged the suspect had hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims by posting ‘highly controversial’ posts on his Facebook account starting July 30.

A case was filed under Section 295-A of the Pakistan Penal Code on the orders of Mirpurkhas Senior Superintendent Police Abid Ali Baloch, the paper said.

The Section 295-A deals with the deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting a religion or religious beliefs. If found guilty, a person can be jailed up to 10 years. He was sent to a 14-day judicial remand, soon after his arrest.

Advocate Kashif Bajeer, a human rights activist in the area, demanded a thorough probe into the matter.

The residents of Mirwah Gorchani claimed that the suspect had been upset after his teenage sister had embraced Islam a few days ago.

Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan. As per official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. However, according to the community, over 90 lakh Hindus are living in the country. Majority of Pakistan’s Hindu population is settled in Sindh province where they share culture, traditions and language with their Muslim fellows.

The teen was arrested after local prayer leader Mohammad Anwar Soomro filed a complaint against him, in Sindh’s Mirpur Khas’ Mirwah Gorchani area on Tuesday