QUETTA: A police constable gunned down a blasphemy suspect inside the lockup of the Cantt Police Station in Quetta on Thursday.

The suspect, identified as Abdul Ali alias Lala, had been arrested a day earlier by local police on charges of blasphemy.

The suspect, a resident of Kharotabad, a locality on the outskirts of Quetta, was detained after a video in which he allegedly made objectionable remarks about Khatm-i-Nabuwwat (finality of prophethood) and the Holy Prophet (PBUH) went viral. A case was registered against him following the video’s circulation.

An angry mob belonging to religious parties, including Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), gathered outside the Kharotabad Police Station where the suspect was initially held. The crowd demanded custody of the suspect, pelting the police station with stones and even launching grenade attacks in their protest.

The police officials later moved the suspect to the Cantt Police Station for his safety. However, a constable who was posted at the Kharotabad station arrived at Cantt and, after conversing with other officers, opened fire on the suspect in the lockup.

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The cop “suddenly opened fire on the suspect who was in the police lockup”, Inspector General Police in Balochistan Moazzam Jah Ansari told Dawn, adding that the police officer used his personal pistol.

The suspect was killed on the spot as he received multiple bullet injuries, another police officer confirmed. The police constable, identified as Saad Khan Sarhadi, was arrested after the incident, officials said, adding that further investigation was in progress.

It is the first incident of its kind in Quetta, where a serving police officer has killed a suspect facing blasphemy charges while in custody.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2024