Gang beats up shopkeeper, resident

HYDERABAD: A shopkeeper was injured when armed men opened fire on him on Saturday. According to witnesses, a group of young men parked their motorcycles near 25-year-old Nazar Muhammad Salawat’s shop in the jurisdiction of the Market police station and started harassing women who were passing by. When Salawat told them to stop, the men left but threatened they would be back. Later, six armed men returned and opened fire on Salawat. They also beat up another resident, Muhazib Salawat, who tried to prevent them from attacking.

After the incident, residents went to the police station to file a case against the suspects, but the police allegedly refused to register an FIR. The enraged residents protested against the police outside the police station. They shouted slogans against the police and also burnt tyres. After the protest, the police registered a case in which an activist of the Peoples Student Federation and his accomplices were nominated. However, no arrests were made till the filing of this report.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 5^th, 2010.