Claim: Punjab Police Sargodha District Police Officer (DPO) Asad Ejaz Malhi stated that videos depicting a victim of an attempted lynching on 25 May 2024 in Sargodha’s Mujahid Colony were “fake” and that no one was seriously injured in the incident.
Fact: Multiple sources including eyewitness accounts, statements from affected families, and other videos taken during the incident confirm that the videos that DPO Malhi termed “fake” are actually authentic and depict significant violence and serious injuries.
On 25 May 2024, an incident of mob violence targeted the Christian minority community in Mujahid Colony, Sargodha. Shortly after, DPO Asad Ejaz Malhi and the Punjab Police made statements denying the authenticity of the videos circulating on social media and claiming no one was seriously injured due to effective police intervention.
The Punjab Police and DPO Malhi claimed that the videos circulating on social media, allegedly showing a victim of an attempted lynching in Mujahid Colony, Sargodha, were “fake.” They also asserted that no one was seriously injured during the incident of mob violence against Christians in the area, further claiming that their timely action prevented “major losses.”
On the same day, the Facebook page “Director Public Relations Sargodha Division Official” also posted a press release stating “there was no loss of life or property” during the incident.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check thoroughly reviewed footage published on social media related to the violent incident on 25 May 2024 The footage was verified with the help of a local resident who prefers to stay anonymous due to safety concerns. The videos in question depicted a distressing scene where a mob encircled and assaulted two bloodied individuals, identified as Lazar Masih, also known as Nasir, and his son Sultan.
The visuals starkly contradict the Punjab Police’s claims that there were no serious injuries. They show a large group of people attacking and assaulting an individual who appears to be severely injured and lying on the ground. One of the videos shows people burning and destroying a building, taking boxes out of shops or homes and throwing them on the road, breaking various items and setting things on fire.
One video also shows people chanting “Labbaik Ya Rasul Allah” [Here, I am at your service, O Prophet of Allah]. In another video, residents are recording Masih, lying injured on the road, and arguing over the recording about whether the allegation was related to him or his son. One man is heard saying, “Agar yeh nahi hai, pher maarna gunah hai.” [If it was not him, then beating him is a sin]
In another video, Masih’s daughter can be heard saying that her father was just cleaning his shop and he was falsely accused of blasphemy, at that time his sons were in the house. She also said the police took her father away in an ambulance, while residents continued to throw stones at the vehicle, injuring the driver and damaging the ambulance.
His daughter’s father-in-law explained that their relatives were so terrified they hid in their houses, as the mob attacked the Masih and their shop, setting fire to items he says are worth 80 to 90 lacs. The family also had a beauty parlour inside their house which he says the mob destroyed, along with motorcycles parked right outside their house that were set on fire. He further states that the police and rangers were standing around the property, and thatLazar Masih was critically injured and his son Sultan also incurred some injuries.
The anonymous resident that Soch Fact Check spoke to confirmed the authenticity of all the videos linked in this section, stating they accurately represented the significant violence inflicted upon members of the Christian community, especially Lazar Masih and his son. He informed Soch Fact Check over the phone that the elderly man shown in the footage was gravely harmed by the mob and subsequently admitted to CMH Hospital Sargodha in a severe condition.
Soch Fact Check also received a fact-finding report by the Cecil & Iris Chaudhry Foundation (CICF), an independent, non-profit organisation. Dated 26 May 2024, the report claims that 73-year-old Lazar Masih, also known as Nasir Masih, was attacked over a blasphemy allegation on 25 May. The victim’s nephew Irfan Gill had spoken to the delegation from CICF, which included Michelle Chaudhry, Kashif Aslam, and Saleem Sylvester.
According to the report, Lazar Masih, who has two sons and two daughters, recently returned from the UAE and set up a small shoe factory in Mujahid Colony in Sargodha. According to his nephew Irfan Gill, a conflict began between his grandsons and some Muslim neighbours over a drainage problem some years ago.
Three days before 25 May, they got into another fight with a Muslim neighbour, Ayub, and Masih’s grandsons filed a complaint with the police about their scuffle with Ayub. Three days later, at 6:00 am, announcements were made over loudspeakers about an allegation of blasphemy, asking people to assemble in the area where the violent mob incident occurred.
“The police force eventually took control of the situation. The District Police Officer (DPO) rescued Lazar Masih’s family, including his wife, children, daughter-in-laws, and grandchildren, but was unable to rescue Lazar Masih,” the report said. “According to the police the mob got hold of Lazar Masih and brutally tortured him; however, according to Irfan Gill (nephew of Lazar Masih), the police handed over Lazar Masih to the mob.” it further added.
The report describes that people threw bricks and stones at Masih, tortured him with a steel rod, injured his body and attempted to kill him. A special police unit arrived at the location and took Masih to DHQ hospital, after which the residents surrounded the hospital. The police then shifted Masih to CMH Sargodha, where he remained till 26 May 2024. On that day he was shifted to CMH Rawalpindi.
“Lazar Masih is in CMH Rawalpindi in an extremely critical condition. His family – wife, daughters in law, and grandchildren are in protective custody at an unknown location,” the report said. “The mainstream media covered the story, but there is uncertainty about Lazar
Masih’s condition. He was brutally tortured and injured, and there are demands for proof of his life as the administration and government are reluctant to share details about his health and whereabouts,” it further added.
Adding to the evidence, a family member of the injured individual spoke to Dawn.com, revealing that their uncle was critically injured and hospitalised, with the family being denied visitation rights. This account also directly contradicts the assertions made by the Punjab Police that there were no serious injuries resulting from the incident.
Moreover, a statement issued by Minority Rights March also highlights the brutality shown in the videos. It detailed a vicious attack on a 70-year-old man, along with the arson of his residence and factory. This statement received widespread coverage across various media platforms and was supported by video evidence reviewed by Soch Fact Check.
Although Soch Fact Check could not reach the Sargodha Division Public Relations Department on their official phone number to verify whether the press release allegedly issued by the Director Public Relations Sargodha Division, the claim that there was no loss of property made in it is falsified by the evidence presented.
The evidence from verified videos and statements from impacted families and organisations presents a narrative that is in direct conflict with the claims made by DPO Asad Ejaz Malhi, the Punjab Police, and what claims to be the Sargodha Division Public Service Department’s Facebook page. Declarations that the videos were fabricated and that no one sustained serious injuries are demonstrably false. Furthermore, the assertion that the police intervention resulted in no major losses is also discredited by the documented physical harm to individuals and the extensive damage to property including the arson of homes and furniture owned by the Christian community.
Virality
The claims made by the Punjab Police and DPO Asad Ejaz Malhi were widely circulated on News websites, such as Arab News.
On Facebook, the claim was also shared here
Conclusion: The evidence from multiple sources, including verified videos, accounts, and statements from affected families and organisations, clearly contradicts the claims made by the Punjab Police and DPO Asad Ejaz Malhi. The statements asserting that the videos were fake and no one was seriously injured are false. Additionally, the claim that police intervention prevented major losses is also misleading, given the documented injuries and property damage.
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Background image in cover photo: Geo.tv
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