Faisalabad Police have registered a case against two nurses of the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital on the charge of committing blasphemy.
Scores of hospital employees staged a protest demonstration on Friday against the two nurses Mariyum Lal and Newsh Arooj, two Christian nurses while alleging that both committed blasphemy by removing a sticker with sacred inscription from a cupboard.
Some of the unruly agitators attacked the police van parked inside the hospital to get custody of one of the nurses but the police locked her inside the van to keep her safe from the the protesters.
A police officer said it had been reported that two nurses committed blasphemy on Thursday by removing a sticker in a ward where psychiatric patients are being treated.
Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr Mohammad Ali submitted an application to the Civil Lines police claiming that the allegation of blasphemy had been proved by the hospital committee.
He said the head nurse had taken the removed sticker into her custody and she apprised him of the issue on Friday.
The hospital administration called police who immediately took the nurse into protective custody so that she could be moved to a safer place. Scores of people tried to get hold of her but police kept her inside the van.
Anti-riot police and Elite Force tackled the situation and a team led by Civil Lines DSP Rana Attaur Rehman after hectic struggle succeeded to move her from the hospital premises.
Among the protesters were clerics who demanded action against the prime suspect.
Police booked both nurses under section 295-B of the PPC.
Christian Community flatly denied these allegation and alleged that a senior nurse Rukhsana had deliberately involved them for her personal grudge.They narrated the story
On April 9, Mariyum Lal and Newsh Arooj, two Christian nurses working at Civil Hospital in Faisalabad, were falsely accused of committing blasphemy. Local sources report that Lal was directed to remove old wall hangings and stickers from a wall by Rukhsana, a senior nurse at the hospital. Following Rukhsana’s instructions, Lal removed the wall-hangings and stickers.
Rukhsana, who reportedly holds a grudge against Lal, provoked other Muslim staffers at Civil Hospital by claiming Lal desecrated wall hangings that contained Quranic verses. In response, a Muslim staffer at the hospital’s pharmacy, named Waqas, attacked Lal with a knife as she was attending a patient in the hospital’s medical ward. Lal received several injuries to her arm but survived the attack.
The false blasphemy allegation against Lal soon spread to the broader community and a mob of enraged Muslims staged a protest outside of Civil Hospital. Members of the mob demanded Lal be arrested and hanged for committing blasphemy.
“This is an alarming situation for the weaker segments of society,” Asif Munawar, a member of the Ministry of Human Rights and Minority Affairs Punjab, told ICC. “This is the second case within three months where a nurse is being accused of committing blasphemy.”
“The authorities must take notice of these practices,” Munawar continued. “Mariyum Lal must be protected in police custody for a fair investigation to take place.”
Police registered a First Information Report (FIR # 347/21) in connection with the blasphemy allegation. According to the FIR, Mariyum Lal and Newsh Arooj are both accused of violating Pakistan’s blasphemy laws under Section 295-B.
