In mad dash: Flood victim killed in stampede at Kot Addu

The deceased Ramzan, a father of six, was a resident of Kasba Gujrat.


Asad Kharal February 25, 2012

LAHORE:


A stampede that broke out at a Watan card centre established in a government college in Kot Addu, quickly turned ugly for the authorities when a flood victim died.


Around 2,000 flood victims belonging to different villages of Tehsil Kot Adu in Muzaffargarh district had gathered to collect their Watan cards at a government college.

Kot Addu Deputy Superintendent Police (DSP) Asadullah Khan said that Muhammad Ramzan died after a pillar fell on him during the ensuing stampede.

Police officials as well as members of the revenue department were later deployed to control the volatile situation.

A local human right activist, Wasim Shakir, while talking to The Express Tribune, revealed that a similar incident had occurred last year too, when a flood victim died after flood victims were baton-charged by the police at the same Watan card centre.

The deceased Ramzan, a father of six, was a resident of Kasba Gujrat.

Flood victims later protested against the tragic incident blaming police and revenue department officials for the mishap. They also alleged that officials were charging Rs1,000 - 2,000 to each flood victim for letting them through to the centre to obtain their cards.

A turn for the worse

In a separate incident at another Watan card centre in Government Higher Secondary School Sanawan, seven police personnel suffered injuries after a protracted standoff with the protesters.

The commotion began when police staffers interrupted a group of students who wanted to let an elderly man bypass the long queue of flood victims.

The situation took a nasty turn when a rumour spread amongst protesters that a student named Ubaidur Rehman, picked up by the police during the initial standoff, had been killed.

In the ensuing protests, a police vehicle was also set on fire while another was severely damaged. To disperse the protesters, the police officials resorted to aerial firing which lasted for about two hours.

Seven policemen, including a sub-inspector, also received injuries after being manhandled in the fiasco while four civilians including student Ubaidur Rehman also got injured due to police torture as well as firing during the scuffle.

The protesters laid siege to the Sanawan police station momentarily too.  However, the mob dispersed peacefully after the release of the detainee Ubaidur Rehman.

DCO orders probe

Meanwhile, District Coordination Officer (DCO) Muzaffargarh Tahir Khurshid appointed ADC Muzaffar Sial to conduct an inquiry into the incident. “The issue will be resolved amicably between the aggrieved parties by tomorrow,” assured Khurshid.

He added that he had contacted the chief minister’s secretariat for the release of Rs5 lacs as compensation for the family of the deceased Ramzan.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25th, 2012.

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