The grieved family of an 18-year-old youth, who lost his life because of alleged police negligence after he was injured in crossfire between cops and robbers, have demanded of higher authorities to look into the matter and provide them justice.
According to SHO Korangi Industrial Area, Inspector Inayatullah Marwat, two robbers on motorcycle were fleeing after looting six citizens, including a Chhipa volunteer, when a police mobile reached the spot and an encounter took place there. In this crossfire police injured one robber while a citizen sustained injuries when a bullet fired by the dacoits hit him, the SHO said.
Both injured, robber and the citizen were shifted to Jinnah Hospital where they succumbed to their injuries, the police claimed. The deceased citizen, identified as Ghulam Mustafa, was a resident of P&T Colony in the Korangi area.
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Nazim, a neighbour of Mustafa, told The Express Tribune that the deceased was a rickshaw driver and lived with his mother and step-father Shamshad. Mustafa was married for two years and had a child, Nazim said.
Shamshad told The Express Tribune that he was passing by on a motorcycle with his wife and child when he saw people had gathered at a place. He stopped to see what had happened and saw Ghulam Mustafa was lying in an ambulance and was bleeding profusely. Shamshad said when he went to Mustafa he was in his senses. Mustafa took out some money from his pocket and gave it to me and said, he is ok, Shamshad said, adding, I then went home to drop my wife and child and then rushed to Jinnah Hospital, but injured Mustafa had not yet been rushed there for immediate treatment.
The Express Tribune was informed by the relative of Mustafa that police took both the injured to police station for legal formalities instead of rushing them to the hospital. This took quite long and by the time ambulances took them to the hospital, the injured had already succumbed to their injuries.
Upon receiving the news about the incident, the father of the victim and other relatives also rushed to the hospital. The father said, had the police taken their child to the hospital instead of the police station, he wouldn't have died. Police wasted time and took the life of Mustafa, he said and claimed that Mustafa was not injured by the bullet fired by robbers, but he was injured in police fire.
The relatives of Mustafa said that Korangi Industrial Area police were threatening them with dire consequences if they speak against the police. They, however, said, they would not give in to the police pressure and keep raising their voice for justice.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 19th, 2021.
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