Mob sets girls school on fire over ‘blasphemy’

LAHORE: A large number of students, their parents and other people on Wednesday protested against a school administration for “distributing a blasphemous essay sheet among students”.

The protesters later set Farooqi Girls High School in Ravi Road area on fire. People in the area have been demanding police action against the teacher accused of blasphemy for the last couple of days.

On Wednesday, a student organisation and residents of the area demonstrated against the school administration. They later broke the school gate and set its building and principal’s car on fire.

Police reached the site and resorted to aerial firing to disperse the mob. A citizen was injured during the protest and was admitted to hospital.

Police also arrested school Principal Asim Farooqi and registered a case against teacher Irfa Iftikhar under section 295/C on the complaint of Qari Abdullah Saqib. Principal Asim Farooqi said that he has already dismissed Irfa Iftikhar and that he too regrets the “mistake”.

Daily Times