Notan Lal, Hindu teacher in Pakistan, given 25 years jail term, falsely charged with blasphemy
Notan Lal was charged under Article 295 (c) of the Pakistan Penal Court which pertains to “derogatory remarks in respect of the Holy Prophet.”
New Delhi: In yet another incident of atrocities on Hindu minority in Pakistan, Notan Lal a Hindu school principal of Ghotki area was detained by Pakistan Police on alleged charges of blasphemy and sentenced to 25 years of prison. The Pakistani court, after hearing the case, convicted the Hindu teacher for a crime he did not commit.
A journalist named Aditya Raj Kaul taking to Twitter has shared the news about Notan Lal. His post read, “#BREAKING: Innocent Hindu minority teacher Notan Lal in Pakistan sentenced to 25 years in prison for allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad during an Urdu lesson. The accusation came from a student Muhammad Ihtisham who later said he had lied. Yet courts convicted him under pressure.” He shared the post along with snaps which shows the student, Mohammed Ihtisham claiming that he falsely accused Lal and news by IANS about the Ghokti incident.
See the post here:
#BREAKING: Innocent Hindu minority teacher Notan Lal in Pakistan sentenced to 25 years in prison for allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad during an Urdu lesson. Accusation came from a student Muhammad Ihtisham who later said he had lied. Yet courts convicted him under pressure. pic.twitter.com/Y8urpp33Kg
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) February 8, 2022
The incident followed after the student Mohammed Ihtisham raised a complaint to his father about Lal, who lodged an FIR to the Pakistan police regarding blasphemy. Later, the student himself taking to social media confronted that he made a video falsely accusing his principal Notan Lal of insulting Prophet Muhammad, as he was angry for the latter scolding him for not memorising his lesson. Little did he know that the issue would take such a dangerous turn. He asked “Sir Notan” for forgiveness, in the social media post.
Lal was charged under Article 295 (c) of the Pakistan Penal Court which pertains to “derogatory remarks in respect of the Holy Prophet.”
The incident triggered angry mobs to attack a Hindu temple and homes of the minority community in Pakistan. Reportedly, the anti-Hindu riots were led by “notorious Islamist Miya Mithu’ known for forcibly converting/ marrying teenage Hindu/Sikh girls into Islam.”
The Ghotki Police registered three FIRs against the enraged protestors who were associated with vandalising the temple, school, and other property and blocking NHW. The police reported having nominated over 200 people in the three cases associated with the anti-Hindu riots.