Hit-and-run ‘killer’ in Charsadda leaves his donkey to suffer

A woman was killed in an accident between a donkey cart and a rickshaw

SHABQADAR: A donkey is being held by the police in Charsadda over its involvement in a deadly road accident.

Investigation Officer Muzaffar Khan of the Shabqadar police told The Express Tribune that on October 29, a woman identified as Shah Fazal was killed when a donkey cart collided with a rickshaw. After the accident, rickshaw driver Nadeem Khan brought the body of the elderly victim to a hospital, while donkey cart operator Ikram Khan had fled from the spot, leaving the injured donkey and damaged cart behind.

The police have declared the donkey, the cart, and the rickshaw as case property and taken them into custody.

Muzaffar added that rickshaw driver Nadeem has been sent to jail, while the donkey and other case property are being kept at the Aranda police post.



The donkey suffered head and eye injuries in the accident and was tied up along the Shabqadar-Michni Road. Although hungry and injured, the police showed little concern until passers-by took pictures and video of the weakened beast. These went viral on social media. The donkey was still standing on the roadside on Sunday morning, and people have been asking the local police to hand it over to someone who can care for it.



A police official who did not want to be named said without a court’s permission, the police could not legally transfer the custody of case property, especially when the main accused – its owner Ikram – is an absconder. He was also upset by the debate over the handling of the animal on social media, reiterating that the police “can’t just give away the donkey” to receive better care.

On the other hand, accused rickshaw driver Nadeem’s brother Dawood Khan have told The Express Tribune that his brother Nadeem had helped the woman till hospital after the accident, while the donkey cart driver had fled, yet the police booked him and held his rickshaw as case property.

PHOTO: Express

PHOTO: Express

Shabqadar police records show that in the last 45 days, 10 people have been killed and 30 injured in rickshaw and motorcycle accidents, while there are many cases which have not been reported to the police. A police official said that thousands of unregistered rickshaws are plying the streets of run in Shabqadar, and most of them are driven by teenagers whose irresponsible driving causes accidents.