Over 100 arrested, probe ordered in attacks on churches and homes of Christians in Pakistan

Lahore: Pakistani authorities have arrested more than 100 people in connection with the unprecedented mob attack on 21 churches of the Christian community in Punjab province even as the government on Thursday ordered a high-level probe into the riots over blasphemy allegations.

Scores of churches and homes belonging to Christians in Jaranwala tehsil of Faisalabad district, some 130 km from the provincial capital, were burnt down on Wednesday by a mob enraged over reports that two Christians had desecrated the Quran.

According to the Punjab government, over 100 people, including activists of the extremist group Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), have been taken into custody for attacking homes and churches of Christians over the alleged blasphemy.

The clip comes two days after another video showed Deol, who is the BJP MP from Gurdaspur, getting annoyed after a couple of female fans tried to touch him while trying to click a photo with him.

Several users criticised the actor on X for his behaviour with the fans with a few attributing it to the success of his latest movie “Gadar 2”.

“Watch the tone of Sunny Deol. ‘Lai na photo’! People should stop hounding Bollywood stars! Just let them be. Not worth the time or energy,” wrote a user.

Another person tweeted, “Sunny Deol bhai, tere me kis baat ka ghamand hai? saalo baad ek movie chali hai, thoda humble hoja.” There were few voices in Deol’s defence as well.

“Some are sharing his video of getting angry on fans for selfies & some are sharing his video saying ‘don’t touch me’. On both the counts, Sunny Deol is right & carry the right of his privacy. Just coz he is humble, you can’t hound him for selfies, hugs & anything (sic),” a user said.

Another person said the actor looked “harassed” in the video.

“People are criticising Sunny Deol for his “Oye lain na photo” outburst but I think, despite all the flaws that celebrities have, sometimes they are treated unfairly. He is already looking harassed. He looks very tired. Despite that, he stops and allows the person to take the selfie,” the tweet read.

Deol’s “Gadar 2” released on August 11 and has turned out to be a blockbuster, with reported earnings of Rs 261.35 crore at the domestic box office.

The Anil Sharma directorial is a sequel to Deol’s 2001 blockbuster “Gadar: Ek Prem Katha”, in which the actor played the iconic role of Tara Singh.