Old man tortured, humiliated for allegedly defecating in Mirpur mosque

A 55-year-old man was brutally tortured and humiliated in a village of district Mirpur of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) for allegedly defecating in a local mosque, police said.

The man was also accused of stealing wires, bulbs as well as taps from the mosque and its ablution area.

According to a first information report, a copy of which is available with DawnNewsTV, a local jury [Panchayat] issued orders to humiliate the old man.

Subsequently, his head, moustaches and eyebrows were shaved, and he was forced to wear a dog's collar and to bark like a dog, according to police. He was also paraded in the streets of the village while wearing a garland of shoes.

The old man was also filmed while parading in the streets and the video was also shared on social media.

The victim categorically denied the charges against him and told the police that he was summoned by an influential man of the area and when he reached there he was accused of the theft and was tortured severely. According to him, a drummer and a barber were already there who shaved his head and face, and the drummer was asked to beat the drum while he was being paraded in the streets.

The police claimed to have arrested two people in connection with the incident. According to police, the prayer leader at the local mosque accused the old man of stealing taps and defecating in the veranda of the mosque.