Sialkot Lynching: Remains of Priyantha Kumara to be airlifted from Lahore

COLOMBO (News 1st), The remains of the Late Priyantha Kumara, who was lynched in Sialkot Pakistan on Friday (3) will be airlifted by SriLankan Airlines on Monday (6), from Lahore.

Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Pakistan Vice Admiral Mohan Wijewickrama told News 1st that the remains will be airlifted to Sri Lanka at the expense of the state.

The Pakistan Government has launched a full-scale investigation into the murder, making more than 230 arrests.

Priyantha Kumara Diyawadana, who was in his 40s, was working as the general manager in the Rajko industries (dealing in garments - sportswear) in Sialkot district, some 100 kilometres from Lahore.

He left for Pakistan for employment in 2010 and has been working as the manager of the Sialkot factory since 2012.

As pressure mounted on the Pakistani government to bring the guilty to justice, over 800 people have been booked under terrorism charges while 13 prime suspects are among the arrested so far in the horrific lynching of the Sri Lankan national in Punjab province.

"A mob of over 800 men gathered at the factory at 10 am Friday on reports that Kumara had torn a sticker/poster. They looked out for him and found him (from the rooftop). They dragged him, beat him severely and by 11.28 am he was dead and the body was set on fire by the violent mob," Inspector General of Police (Punjab) Rao Sardar Ali Khan said.

The mob after burning the body of the Sri Lankan national had blocked the Wazirabad road. Police from different stations reached there to control the situation, he said.

Sri Lankan Parliament and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday condemned the lynching and hoped that Prime Minister Imran Khan will keep his commitment to bring all those involved to justice and ensure the safety of the rest of the island nation's expat workers.

The incident sparked widespread condemnation from all walks of life. Police were also chided for reaching the crime scene after the incident.

According to Pakistan's Geo News the Punjab government had sent an initial investigation report of the Sialkot tragedy to Prime Minister Imran Khan.

As per the preliminary report, a dispute had emerged when Kumara removed some posters from the walls of the factory at 10:28am.

Shortly after, the factory owner had reached the spot and resolved the issue. Kumara had apologised for the misunderstanding on his part.

After Kumara made the apology, the matter was reportedly considered settled and the factory workers had dispersed.

However, some workers then incited their colleagues to attack the manager.

Within a few minutes, a mob formed and set on the victim within the premises of the industrial unit, eventually killing him.

A total of 13 security guards were present in the factory as the brutal attack was occurring. None of them tried to rescue the victim or disperse the mob, the report had said.

The gruesome incident was dubbed by Prime Minister Imran Khan as "a day of shame for Pakistan".

The brutal murder drew widespread condemnation from senior government functionaries, including the prime minister and president, as well as the military's top leadership, who promised to bring all those involved to the book.