8-year-old Boy Faces Death Penalty For Urinating On Himself Inside Religious School Library

 

A little boy of 8, has been locked away inside a jail for a week after being accused of blasphemy by Muslims.

 

The Hindu boy is being held in protective police custody in Pakistan after being accused of intentionally wetting himself in a religious library.

 

The child has become the youngest person ever to be charged with blasphemy in the country, a charge which can carry the death penalty.

 

The boy was accused of "intentionally urinating on a carpet" in the library of madrassa last month, where religious books were kept.

 

The boy's family is currently in hiding and many of the Hindu community in Punjab have fled the area after a group of Muslims attacked a Hindu temple in outrage following the accused boy's release on bail last week.

 

Soldiers were deployed to the area to help maintain peace.

 

On Saturday, 20 people were arrested in connection with the temple attack.

 

Speaking to The Guardian from hiding, one of the boy's family members said: "He [the boy] is not even aware of such blasphemy issues and he has been falsely indulged in these matters. He still doesn’t understand what his crime was and why he was kept in jail for a week.

 

Legal experts are shocked at the blasphemy charges being filed against the child.

 

Ramesh Kumar, a lawmaker and head of the Pakistan Hindu Council, said: "The attack on the temple and blasphemy allegations against the eight-year-old minor boy has really shocked me.

 

Kapil Dev, a human rights activist, said: "I demand charges against the boy are immediately dropped, and urge the government to provide security for the family and those forced to flee.