Muharram procession: Several injured in clashes near imam bargah

MWM says fight started by armed Sipah-i-Sahaba men.

LAHORE:

Several policemen and others were injured in clashes near an imam bargah in Sanda on Tuesday evening.

The incident occurred as Shia mourners left a majlis at the imam bargah in Dhoop Sari and set out for a ziarat procession. According to the police, the imam bargah had been denied permission for the procession in the area, and personnel at the scene instructed the Shia mourners not to cross the boundary marked by the police because there was no security cover.

The mourners tried to push past the security cordon, police said, and a shoving match ensued. Sunnis in the area stepped in to support the police without being asked to do so, they said. The situation descended into violence, with several injuries reported due to firing and stone-throwing.

But according to the imam bargah administration and the Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen, the fighting began when a group of people waving Sipah-i-Sahaba flags and chanting ‘Infidels, infidels’ marched towards the Shias setting out for the Ziarat procession.



Six policemen were injured in the incident, including Gulshan-i-Ravi SHO Zahid Hussain, who was rushed to General Hospital after being hit in the head with a brick, said Rescue 1122 officials. Three civilians were taken for treatment to Mayo Hospital, including one who was critical with bullet wounds.

400 police personnel and 12 Elite Force vans were sent in to restore peace. Operations DIG Rana Jabbar and Security SP Ali Salman Khan also rushed to the scene and a peace committee was set up to resolve the matter.

Police took control of rooftops around the scene and began looking through footage from CCTV cameras near the imam bargah. A search operation was carried out and some 10 people were detained and had weapons confiscated, a spokesman for the DIG said.

No FIR had been lodged by the time this report was filed at around 9pm. Police said that they would decide what FIR to register after an initial investigation.

Police said that imam bargah administrator Syed Karamat Ali would be held responsible for trying to take out a procession when permission had been denied.

Meanwhile, the Shia Ulema Council issued a press release demanding the arrest of those who had fired on the Shia mourners. MWM Secretary General Allama Abdul Khaliq Assadi said that the attack was carried out by supporters of the outlawed Sipah-i-Sahaba from outside the area.

He said that if the police did not arrest the attackers, they would lead the Muharram 10 processions towards CM’s House.

MWM leader Allama Haider Ali Musavi had earlier said that the clashes were not sectarian in nature, but the MWM secretary general said that Musavi’s statement had been made under pressure from the police.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2013.