Over 300 Christians protest in Lahore, demanding justice for a Catholic man allegedly tortured and killed in police custody in Punjab.
Newsroom (27/03/2026 Gaudium Press ) In Lahore’s industrial district, grief and fury collided under the dim streetlights on the night of March 26. More than 300 Christians gathered outside the Industrial Area Police Station in Kahna, blocking roads and demanding answers after the custodial death of a Catholic man, 42-year-old gardener Iftikhar Masih, who they say was brutally tortured before being killed in police custody.
The protest lasted nearly three hours, choking off access to the station and even halting an ambulance sent to retrieve Masih’s body. For the demonstrators, most from Lahore’s working-class Christian community, the confrontation was not just about one man’s death but part of a growing pattern of police impunity that has eroded public trust in Punjab’s law enforcement.
According to Ryasat Masih, the victim’s brother, Iftikhar was arrested earlier this week on allegations of kidnapping a girl from a housing society using a weapon. He alleged that police official Mohsin Shah demanded a bribe of 200,000 rupees (approximately US$717) to stop police action against his brother. “Later, Shah claimed my brother had committed suicide,” Ryasat said. “He was found hanging from a ceiling fan with a scarf. There were torture marks on several parts of his body.”
Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral held on March 27, where cries for justice echoed from grieving relatives and community leaders alike.
In a video statement the previous night, Falbous Christopher, a Christian lawmaker and chairman of Punjab’s Standing Committee on Human Rights and Minority Affairs, confirmed that a murder case has been registered against the police officers involved and that an inquiry is underway. “Justice must be served,” he declared, calling the case emblematic of widespread abuses that often go unpunished.
The incident comes amid a concerning rise in custodial deaths and “police encounters” across Punjab. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) reported that at least 924 people were killed in police encounters during the first eight months of 2025 alone. The HRCP’s February 17 report noted that families frequently allege victims were detained days before their supposed encounter deaths—suggesting extrajudicial executions disguised as shootouts.
“The extreme casualty imbalance—averaging more than two fatal encounters daily—combined with the uniformity of operational patterns across districts, indicates an institutionalized practice rather than isolated incidents of misconduct,” said Asad Iqbal Butt, HRCP chairperson, urging an urgent high-level judicial inquiry.
Within Pakistan’s Christian community, the case of Iftikhar Masih has revived painful memories of systemic neglect. Many feel the justice system is stacked against the poor and marginalized. Arthur Wilson, head of rights group Redemption Pakistan and a longtime Christian prison ministry worker, voiced growing disillusionment. “Custodial deaths have become a common practice,” he said. “Justice can be purchased by the rich, while the poor suffer. We have not seen a fair investigation into police officers. The whole system needs reform.”
For now, the streets of Kahna are quiet again. Yet the bloodstains of another alleged custodial killing linger—marking another chapter in a deepening crisis over police accountability and human rights in Punjab.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCA News
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