Deadly rivalry: Violence follows injured men to JPMC

Four suspects were apprehended immediately after the attack at the hospital.

KARACHI:

For victims of violence in the city, sometimes even hospitals can be unsafe. This was evident on Saturday when some culprits tried to attack members of a rival group at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JMPC). The victims had been taken to the hospital after being injured earlier in the day during a clash between the two groups.

Sub-inspector Wali Mohammad said that two rival groups living in Defence View exchanged fire on Saturday, as a result of which a fruit vendor, identified as 20-year-old Abdul Qadeer, was killed and four others were injured. The injured men were identified as two brothers, Abdul Samad and Abdul Rauf, the owner of a milk shop, Ilyas, and Owais, a member of one of the quarrelling groups.

A heavy contingent of law enforcers reached the spot shortly after the incident and took the victims, including Owais, to JPMC. Unfortunately, the conflict followed them there. Members of the other group later arrived and tried to kill people belonging to Owais’ group. They also opened indiscriminate fire outside the emergency department, which created panic and fear among the doctors, paramedical staff and patients. When the attack began at the hospital, the Rangers personnel deloyed there immediately sprang into action, apprehended four suspects and seized their weapons. The suspects were taken to an undisclosed location for questioning.

While talking to the media, Dr Seemin Jamali, who is in charge of the emergency department, said that nobody was killed or hurt in the incident which took place outside the hospital’s emergency department. She said that more law enforcers should be deployed at the hospital. No case has been registered as yet.

Another clash

In an unrelated incident, a young man was killed and at least three others were wounded during an armed clash between two groups in Usmanabad in Old City area, within the jurisdiction of the Garden police station. There were reports that the clash occurred between the members of two rival political parties. However, DSP Fakharul Islam said that it is still unclear whether the people fighting with each other belonged to political parties.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 12^th, 2012.