Man lynched in Pakistan buried in native Sri Lanka

The body of a Sri Lankan factory manager who was tortured and set on fire by a mob in Pakistan for alleged blasphemy has been buried in his native village with state honors

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- The body of a Sri Lankan factory manager who was tortured and set on fire by a mob in Pakistan for alleged blasphemy was buried in his native village with state honors on Wednesday.

Buddhist clergy performed religious rites at the home of Priyantha Kumara before police led a procession in which family and friends carried the casket with his charred remains to the cemetery.

The road was decorated with condolence banners and white flags symbolizing mourning.

Kumara was assaulted by a mob of hundreds of people and was dragged into the street and set on fire last Friday in Sialkot, Pakistan, where he helped run a sports equipment factory. Workers at the factory accused him of desecrating posters bearing the name of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad.