Mob kills a man in Gujrat

FIR registered against 5 people and 6 policemen arrested after mob allegedly kills man by repeated attacks of bricks.

GUJRAT: An FIR was registered against five people and six policemen were arrested in Gujarat on Thursday after a mob allegedly beat a man to death by repeated attacks of bricks.

The deceased was identified as Tariq, the driver of a van, who allegedly injured five people after the van he was driving, hit them on Bhambar Road. Tariq, who owned a marble factory and was on his way there, reportedly did not stop after the accident.

The five people who were injured included two men on a motorcycle, Nadeem and Naeem Sindhu.

The two men, who are lawyers and members of the district bar of Gujrat, called their colleagues and caught Tariq near the Chungi Chowk. The mob hurled stones and bricks at Tariq, who was still inside the van, and later dragged him out and killed him with repeated attacks of bricks.

An eyewitness said that the mob comprised lawyers and several men in plain clothes. He alleged that the police officials had reached the scene while the incident was taking place but they did not do anything to stop the mob from killing Tariq.

Following the incident, the district police officer, Afzal Kausar, put six policemen including an inspector, Sarwar Gondal, and a sub inspector, Mubarak Shah, under arrest. Talking to The Express Tribune, Kausar said strict action would be taken against the police officers if their involvement in the crime was proven. “If the police team reached the crime scene after the killing, they will be charged with negligence in the performance of duties and if before, they will be held accountable for aiding and abetting,” he said.

The relatives of the deceased along with dozens of residents of Lorah village, Tariq’s hometown, staged a demonstration against the culprits and the police.

The protestors placed his body at the chowk and protested for several hours. They concluded the protest after demanding that the culprits be put behind the bars by Saturday or else they would block the Gujrat Road.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 17^th, 2010.