Blasphemy charge against local vet triggers violent anti-Hindu riot in Pakistan (PHOTOS)

Violent protests targeting a minority community in a predominantly Muslim area have erupted in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province after a Hindu vet was accused of wrapping meds in pages ripped out of a holy book.

Footage from the scene showed shops ablaze with furious crowds calling for extrajudicial vengeance. The mob of angry protesters began to vandalize businesses belonging to the Hindu community in Phuladyon town in the province's Mirpurkhas district after a local veterinarian, identified as Ramesh Kumar, was detained for “defiling” the Holy Koran. The man stands accused of ripping out pages from the Muslim holy book to wrap medicines in them.

Following pleas from the minority community for authorities to “intervene and ensure the safety of Hindu Sindhis,” the local police force assured the public that action was being taken against the mob that instigated Monday’s violence. Authorities, however, failed to report how many shops were set ablaze or how many casualties, if any, were caused by the rioting.

“The minorities in the district will be protected,” Zahid Hussain Leghari, the station house officer of Phuladyon police station, told Samaa TV, stressing that those involved in the unrest will be arrested.

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