A mob of armed men attacked a village, Chak 95 GB, near Koriyan, Gojra tehsil in Toba Tek Singh district on Thursday and set fire to at least 20 houses, a private TV channel reported.According to the channel, several people were injured and casualties were also feared. The channel reported that many cattle had also been burnt alive in the incident. The incident sparked widespread violent protests against police and fire brigade officials for their late arrival. Protesters blocked the Faisalabad-Jhang Road, which affected the flow of traffic.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif took notice of the incident and directed the district coordination officer and the district police officer to visit the area personally and report back to him.
Talking to the channel, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said the incident took place as a reaction to rumours of blasphemy and alleged desecration of the holy Quran.
Additional police force has been dispatched from Faisalabad to help control the situation.