Eight dead as old Dadu feud erupts into gun battle

An old rivalry between two groups of the Chandio clan erupted into a deadly gun battle in the riverbed villages of Dadu district on Sunday, leaving eight people dead and three others injured after several hours of heavy firing.

Residents of Dhando Chandio and Shaikh Gulab Chandio, both within the jurisdiction of Jhalo police station, woke to the sound of intense gunfire as the two groups traded fire.

Six of the deceased, including two sons and a brother of Akbar Chandio, belonged to his group, while two brothers from the opposing group were also killed in the firing.

The exchange of fire eventually stopped after village elders approached both sides carrying the Holy Quran and appealed to them to end the hostilities. Police reportedly arrived later.

SSP Dadu Saddam Hussain Khaskheli confirmed eight deaths, saying six of the victims belonged to Akbar Chandio's group and two to the opposing side. He said police immediately responded, established pickets and launched searches in the villages to apprehend suspects and seize weapons. However, police had not announced any arrests by the evening.

DSP City Akbar Channa and Jhalo SHO Yousuf Memon said the dispute between the two sides had started over a land issue around three years ago and that more than a dozen people had been killed in the ensuing hostility.

They said the suspects had fled the villages before police arrived and a hunt was under way to apprehend them.

According to the DSP, two police mobile vans initially reached the villages, but after assessing the situation, personnel from more than half a dozen police stations were called in to assist with the search operation.

The bodies were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, Dadu, for medico-legal formalities. The FIR had not been registered by the evening.

The deceased were identified as brothers Sultan and Manzoor, Zulfiqar, Bachal, Irshad and Fida Hussain from Akbar Chandio's group, and brothers Deedar and Gul Bahar from the other group. Among the three injured was a passerby woman, Guddi Lashari. Another injured person, Mumtaz, was shifted to a hospital in Sehwan in critical condition.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah took notice of the incident and directed the Inspector General of Police to submit a report. The CM expressed grief over the loss of lives and sympathised with the bereaved families. He directed police to ensure that all those involved were brought to justice without exception and ordered an immediate investigation and arrest of the suspects.

"No one can be allowed to take the law into their own hands," he said, directing police and relevant authorities to closely monitor the law-and-order situation in the village and take immediate measures to defuse tensions.