Missing goat leaves eight injured

A missing goat sparked a clash between two groups in Ramzan Goth, in the limits of Mochko Police Station, on Sunday, leaving eight persons injured.

According to Mochko SHO Waseem Ahmed, a goat, owned by a resident of the area, namely Mughal Khan, was stolen on January 14. Two days later, Mughal was informed that his goat was being kept in the house of another resident, Wilayat Khan.

Learning this, said the SHO, Mughal went to Wilayat's house to enquire about the goat. The latter told the former that he found the goat trotting along a road and handed over the goat back to its owner.

However,the rumour mill went to work and soon there was chatter in the neighbourhood that Wilayat and his family are goat thieves. With speculation abound that rumours began spreading from persons in Mughal's household, Wilayat and his companions barged into Mughal's house and beat him using sticks and rods. The clash that ensued left Mughal, Wilayat, Saleem, Mir Salam, and others injured, told the SHO.

Elaborating further, the SHO said that the sons of Wilayat and Mughal also joined in the quarrel and pelted stones at each other. The former's three sons, namely, Raheem, Zohaib and Hakim, and the latter's son, Junaid, as well as others injured, were shifted to Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital.

The police reached the site after the injured returned to their homes after medical treatment. According to the SHO, both the parties were reaching a resolution when the women from Mughal's house appeared and accused Wilayat of stealing the goat.

Amid the hollering and the shouting, however, the police managed to intervene and prevented the matter from escalating any further.

The police said that cases will be lodged against both the parties once the medical reports are received.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18^th, 2021.