In 2019, a Hindu teacher was accused of blasphemy in the Ghotki area of Sindh. A court in Karachi has now ordered his immediate release, unless he is wanted for any other reason.
The court found the defendants not guilty because the prosecution could not prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, according to the verdict, which The Express Tribune has on file.
The judgment stated that when the prosecution cannot prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and there are facts and circumstances that suggest otherwise, the benefit of the doubt should go to the accused, not as a favor, but as his right. This is a fundamental principle of law.
The teacher’s loved ones, neighbors, and acquaintances are worried about his safety because they fear for his life.
Sukh Dev Hemnani, a board member of the Sindh Human Rights Commission, explained that the individual in question was wrongfully charged with blasphemy in 2019 and spent nearly five years behind bars. However, the court has now freed him and ordered his release.
According to him, “We are trying to arrange security for him and his family.” He also mentioned that the court had reserved a decision on the matter during its last hearing, but today it delivered that decision.
Hemnani stated, “His life is in danger as anyone could harm him,” and went on to say that the teacher could face problems due to “misinformation” about the matter.
The accusations and subsequent events
Muhammad Ihtisham, a pupil there, went to his father with a complaint that the school owner had made slurs about the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
During the event, a video of Ihtisham’s complaint went viral. He claimed that other professors instructed him to be quiet when he complained about the comments. “Subsequently, I contacted my loved ones,” he related. At that point, demonstrators converged on the A-Section Police Station, where they urged the authorities to file a formal complaint (FIR) against the educator. That day, the FIR was filed in the late afternoon.
The accused’s school in Ghotki city was closed and transferred to a different owner after his detention, and political and social activists called for his release.
Attacks on the school occurred after the claims were made. During the disturbances, a large number of demonstrators damaged the Sacho Satram Mandir in the heart of the city, and at least five stores in Jilani Market were plundered.
Claiming to have been in charge of the demonstration that stormed the school where the incident took place, Mian Aslam is the older brother of Mian Mithoo.
The city government and police officers, meanwhile, showed no interest in protecting the temple or dispersing the demonstrators. There was a sit-in on the major routes and a march to the school by thousands of people who were in support of the Mian brothers.
Reports indicate that Hindu families were intimidated by the protesters and chose to stay indoors. “We even asked our kids not to cry,” a Hindu community member told The Express Tribune.
I had a terrible nightmare. He continued by saying that the demonstrators were yelling anti-government and anti-religion slogans as they wandered the streets, adding that they were in a state of mental distress and unsure if they could leave freely.
After the rioting, a video of Mian Aslam leading the protest went popular online. However, ex-National Assembly member Mian Mithoo denied any involvement.
He denied leading the demonstration in an interview with The Express Tribune. He clarified, “I was in Ubaro in a meeting,” and said he had no idea what was going on in Ghotki. “I am completely clueless. Someone (a Hindu, I believe) recently made derogatory remarks about our Prophet (PBUH).
