Seven of a family die in crossfire

QUETTA:
A man was killed along with his wife and five children in an incident of firing in Suhbatpur tehsil of Jaffarabad district, police said on Tuesday. The family was caught in a crossfire as a result of which seven members died on the spot.

District Police Officer Jaffarabad Javed Iqbal confirmed that the incident took place as a result of a crossfire between two armed groups of the Bugti tribe during the early hours of Tuesday.

As per details, ten members of a family were sleeping outside their hut in Ghot Jarwar within precincts of Suhbatpur police station, which is situated on the border of Dera Bugti, when they were caught in the attack. As a result Shankar, his wife Malkon and their five children, Mashooq, Badel, Kezo, Amlon and Makri received multiple bullet wounds that killed them while three others Asif, Akash and Mahe Heran suffered injuries. Both the groups escaped after the incident.


“The target was not the poor family,” Iqbal said, adding that all the victims belong to the Hindu community and originally came from Bakhshapur town of Sindh. He said that such clashes between sub-tribes often take place in Suhbatpur and the adjoining areas and that the police are in the process of arresting the culprits. A case has been registered against eight suspects.

In the meanwhile, the Hindu community led by a person named Rajesh Kumar held a demonstration on the national highway along with the bodies, disrupting the flow of traffic. The protesters chanted slogans against the administration but peacefully dispersed after assurances that the culprits will soon be caught. Traffic was restored on the highway after three hours.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21st, 2010.

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