Five killed, six injured in tribal gunfight

SSP transferred as police accused of inaction

HYDERABAD:

Amid no let-up in violent crimes in Kashmor-Kandhkot district, five people were killed and half a dozen were injured in an intra-tribe gunfight in a marketplace in the Bakshapur area on Sunday.

The fire fight between Domki tribe factions took the entire rural town hostage for over half an hour until reinforcements arrived from other police stations even though Bakshapur police station was close to the site of the clash.

Taking notice of the deadly clash, the Sindh government transferred the district's SSP Irfan Samo to Shikarpur district, while SSP Shabbir Ahmed Sethar has been given the charge of Kashmore-Kandkhot district.

According to police, Edan Domki and Barkat Domki died on the spot. Peer Baksh Domki and Noor Ahmed Domki succumbed to their injuries at the Chandka hospital in Larkana. Dhani Baksh Domki breathed his last on the way to Rahim Yar Khan district of Punjab where other injured persons have been shifted.

Local traders and residents complained that police arrived late at the scene and only to shift the casualties to hospital. They also alleged that the Bakshapur police did not even receive their calls when the two sides were engaged in firing. The local market shut down during the gunfight and people confined themselves to their homes.

Neither the incident's FIR was lodged till Sunday evening nor any arrests were declared in this connection. The two groups of Domki tribe have been locked in a land dispute for years.

Katcha operation

Police and dacoits made conflicting claims in the ongoing operation in the riverine forest of Ghotki district. Police proudly disclosed to the media that they have injured five dacoits and the latter released a video of a partially damaged armoured personnel carrier and its broken parts in RPG attack.

Ghokti SSP Tanveer Ahmed Tunio told the local media that during the operation against the gang of Rahib Shar in the Rawnti area, five dacoits sustained gunshot injuries. Soon the district police would receive more chained APCs which would ensure victory over the heavily armed gangs of dacoits in the area.

Shar, meanwhile, released a video stating that police attacked his hideout but they fired back and damaged a part of the APC's chain, forcing police to beat a retreat. He also issued a threat to the SSP. Police denied their vehicle was damaged or that they were pushed back by the dacoits.

Woman, daughter killed in armed attack

A woman and her daughter were killed in an armed attack on their car near Abro Road in Kambar Shahdadkot district on their way back from a court hearing where they had filed a plea seeking protection.

Reportedly, 50-year-old Sajida Bohar, along with her daughters was returning from court where she had pleaded for security against the threats they received from her in-laws.

Sajida and one of her daughters, Aqeela was killed in the attack, while her other daughter, Aneela, sustained gunshot injuries.

According to the police, three armed men riding a motorbike opened fire on the car in which the women were traveling. Some witnesses have identified the suspects as Ahmed Ali Bohar, Jabbar Bohar, and Bakht Bohar, who are believed to be Sajida’s brothers-in-law. However, no First Information Report (FIR) has been lodged so far, and the police have not made any arrests yet.

The bodies were shifted to the Civil Hospital Kambar while the injured daughter was taken to a hospital in Larkana for medical aid.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17^th, 2023.