SAHIWAL: Police on Monday registered a case against seven people and arrested three of them for allegedly insulting a prayer leader at a mosque at village 139/9-L.

Reports said a rival group forcibly prevented the mosque`s prayer leader from leading the Zuhr prayers.

The attackers reportedly dragged him by his beard into the mosque courtyard, hurled abusive language, and physically assaulted him.

The reason for the incident was an ongoing dispute between two groups over the mosque`s `Imamat`(leadership).

Eyewitnesses stated that Qari Aslam Shahid, the prayer leader of Jamia Masjid Ghosia, was leading the Zuhr prayers when seven men attacked him frombehind. They grabbed his beard, dragged him into the courtyard, verbally abused him, and threatened to kill him if he continued to lead prayers.

Villagers immediately contacted the police emergency helpline (15), prompting a swift response from Dera Rahim Police. A team arrived at the scene and arrested four of the attackers Rana Shoukat Ali, Muhammad Amir, Ali Hasan, and Qasim Ali. However, three other suspects fled before police arrived.

A case has been registered under sections 148, 149, 355, and 506 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), based on a complaint filed by Muhammad Ashraf, head of the mosque management committee.

Three of the seven suspects remain unidentified.