PESHAWAR: Police opened a hate speech investigation involving two clerics on Sunday after the killing of a university student over allegations he committed blasphemy.

The clerics are accused of attempting to disrupt the funeral of student Mashal Khan, who was beaten to death by fellow students.

University officials had issued a public notification hours before the murder naming three students being investigated for “blasphemous activities”.

Mardan police chief Alam Shinwari said 20 people had been identified as culpable in the killing on the basis of videos taken during the attack, and 15 had been arrested. He said they would be tried by anti-terrorism courts.

Police say they are also investigating the clerics in Khan’s hometown of Swabi, some 60 kilometres south of Mardan, for attempting to disrupt funeral proceedings and instigate hatred against the dead student’s family.

“The two clerics ... the mosque loudspeaker for hate speech against the slain student and his family and ... created hurdles for the people and another cleric to participate in the funeral,” a senior Swabi police official told Reuters. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being targeted by religious hardliners.

A local imam had refused to lead the funeral prayers at Khan’s funeral on Friday, according to Swabi resident Salman Ahmed. A technician who was asked to do so in the cleric’s place was confronted by several people afterwards.—Reuters