Two people were killed while three others sustained serious injuries during a riot at the Lucky Irani Circus on Saturday night.
According to police officials, a fight broke out between spectators and circus staff following a performance in Khurrianwala on Saturday. According to locals, several youngsters tried to enter the circus and view a show without tickets. When the men were stopped by guards they began aerial firing which caused a stampede of people inside the tent. “It was particularly frightening because the incident happened during a performance. There were lions and animals that got spooked and out of control and this caused a stampede of spectators,” said a visitor at the circus, Sadia Alvi.
“The more the guards tried to control the crowd the messier it all got. The youths were still firing shots into the air and the animals were getting agitated which scared everyone,” said a circus administrator Shafi Bahadur.
Due to the stampede, three people were severely injured after they were trampled by dozens of people escaping the tent. “One of the injured was a four year old boy who is in the hospital,” said Bahadur. Circus staff said that they managed to overpower the attackers after half an hour of struggling.
Meanwhile, the gatecrashers became infuriated and started to target guards. The youths killed a guard Shahbaz with a bullet to the head and then fired upon a spectator Naeemullah, who tried to disarm them.
DHQ Khurrianwala staff said that over 42 people were reportedly injured in the stampede. “Some of the wounds were more severe than others but there was a flood of people who came to the hospital after the riot. Four people are currently in serious condition,” said DHQ Dr Muhammad Arshad. “One four-year-old boy is in critical condition after his head was split open in the stampede,” he added.
Circus staff said that the firing scared the animals. “There is always a risk that the animals can get spooked by a fire or the sound of bullets and the performing animals got very agitated.
One of the animals got loose and this scared the audience even more,” said a performer at the circus, Moti Mashoor.
Police officials have registered a case against the armed persons on the report of the general manager of the circus Tahir Jawed. “It was a regrettable incident. These boys were trying to gate crash and when they were stopped they caused a riot. Dozens of people were injured and two were killed,” said Jawed.
“We are performers and we love performing for the people but I never imagined this could happen,” said Moti. “A lot of our equipment was destroyed and we have lost a valued colleague,” he added.
Police claimed that four persons have been taken into custody and more raids are being conducted for the arrest of their accomplices. “It was hard to identify who started the riots because there is such a large crowd.
There were at least 300 people in the tent and we are still trying to point out who is responsible for the murders,” said Civil Lines Police inspector Rehan Dost.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 16th, 2011.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ