Fury over power outage spills over on local church

Facade of Saint Francis Church pelted with stones, car damaged as protests against power outages turn violent.

KARACHI: A church was pelted with stones as violent protests against prolonged power outages broke out in Ranchore Line area of Karachi on Friday evening.  

The Saint Francis Church and missionary school in Nanakwara, Ranchore Line is located close to the old Haji camp.

Residents of the area suffering power outages for close to 72 hours took to the streets to vent their anger over the truant service.

Demonstrators gathered near Khyber chowk, they set a few tyres alight, blocked traffic and raised slogans demanding that power to their area be restored. However, soon the relatively peaceful protest turned violent as some members started pushing against the gates of the 75-year-old church.

Some demonstrators managed to breach the outer courtyard of the church where they pelted the building’s façade with stones and damaged a Suzuki car parked within.

Police and rangers were also called in to control the situation. However, Napier police neither confirmed nor denied the incident.