Amin said when Hussain asked them to pay for the goods, the police officials beat him. PHOTO: FILE
Traders from Gojra on Saturday staged a protest demonstration against the police over the killing of a shopkeeper.
About 200 traders shut down their shops and chanted slogans against the police.
Muhammad Amin, one of the protestors, told newsmen that constable Muhammad Anwar and a volunteer Rauf Ahmed had visited Talib Hussian’s store late on Friday night and picked up some items to take away.
Amin said when Hussain asked them to pay for the goods, the police officials beat him. Amin said they dragged Hussain out on the street and shot him.
Amin said Ali Nawaz, a fruit vendor, tried to intervene and was injured by a bullet.
“Both the injured men were taken to the tehsil headquarters hospital where Talib was declared dead on arrival. Doctors said Nawaz’s injuries were serious,” Amin said.
When news of the incident spread, a crowd gathered at the hospital and some people vandalised furniture and equipment.
They also blocked Gojra-Toba Road.
A police contingent headed by Gojra City station house officer was sent to the hospital.
The enraged protestors got hold of Ahmed, the police volunteer, and beat him up.
Ahmed was taken to Allied Hospital in Faisalabad with serious injuries.
Next, Toba Tek Singh District Police Officer (DPO) Shehzad Asif Khan visited the scene and assured the protestors that action would be taken against the police officials involved in the incident.
On his assurance, the demonstrators called off their protest. Later, when the police were shifting Hussain’s body to the district headquarters (DHQ) hospital in Toba Tek Singh, the protestors stopped the ambulance near Gojra railway phatak and took the body away. They put the body at Jamia Charaghia Chowk and blocked it.
They demanded that Hussain’s post-mortem be conducted at Gojra THQ hospital.
The DPO once again met with the protestors and persuaded them to let the police take the body to Toba Tek Singh for post-mortem.
The DPO said he had constituted a committee to investigate the incident and arrest the culprits.
Gojra police said they had registered a case under Sections 302 and 324 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) on the complaint of Arif Ali, brother of Talib Hussain, against the police constable Muhammad Anwar and volunteer Rauf Ahmad.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 22nd, 2013.
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