Daily Times

LAHORE: Khaleel Masih, an ice-cream salesman, was beaten by a gang in Kasur district for selling ‘unclean merchandise’ to local children, according to the Daily Mail, a foreign newspaper.

Masih, a father-of-six, was selling ice cream from the back of his bicycle in a village near his home city of Changa Manga when he was attacked. The 42-year-old seller had visited a nearby village in the Kasur district to sell ice cream when two persons – Muhammad Rizwan and Muhammad Farman – started insulting him.

They called him with insulting words. “They then began accusing me of selling ‘unclean’ merchandise to Muslim children. I wanted to argue and make them understand that this wasn’t true but they didn’t listen to me. Instead, they began to beat and torture me,” the victim said.

Soon, around 20 other men had joined in the beating. They also damaged his bicycle and scattered his ice-cream along the ground. He said that other men and women also shouted at him that Christians were untouchables. “They (Christians) are meant for cleaning our houses and therefore should not be allowed to sell anything edible to Muslims,” he quoted locals as saying.

When Masih explained what had happened at the local police station, they refused to take a statement. When he was finally allowed to file a report, he was pressured into withdrawing his complaint and forced to sign a reconciliation agreement.