Hindu youth in Pak killed for ‘blasphemy’, family in fear

However, the members of this Hindu family find it hard to restart a normal life with the “stain” of blasphemy on their whole community, which they believe is a lie to cover up the real motive behind the 20-year-old’s murder.

“Until we get justice, we have to live with the same lie, which sparks fear among our community,” said Rameshri, elder sister of Kumar who was was killed in a factory in Korangi on April 8.

A resident of Mirpurkhas, Kumar lived in Lyari with his sister and brother-in-law to earn a livelihood. His brutal end has raised questions about the performance of the police, who, despite reaching the spot, failed to prevent the workmen from beating their colleague to death.

“We never experienced such a situation even in our ancestral home in Mirpurkhas,” said Sundri, another sister of Kumar. “Neither do we want compensation, nor any financial support. We need justice, which would remove such an allegation against our community,” she added.

Wrapped in traditional saris, Kumar’s five sisters do not feel confident about even discussing their own religion. They consider themselves “illiterate” and not able to talk about any religion.

“How can a person who has come to earn bread for his poor family indulge in such a discussion, about something he doesn’t know anything about,” said Gopi, one of the sisters. Kumar was the youngest among five sisters and three brothers.

The lynching came as a shock to political and human rights activists. It also attracted criticism from religious circles. The case, however, appears to be going nowhere, as the police took it as a reaction to the alleged blasphemy committed by Kumar, while the family suspects the real reason is being covered up.

“We have reason to believe that there is a cover-up,” said Ratan Kumar, a minority councillor of a union council in Lyari’s Marwari Mohalla, which has been home to dozens of Hindu families for decades. “It’s the police’s...