Up in arms: Hundreds protest police inaction in twin murder

The protesters fired shots in the air when police baton charged them.

FAISALABAD:

Hundreds of residents of Chak 61-RB staged a demonstration on Friday morning to protest what they called the lack of police response to the killing of two men in their village. 

The protesters brandished steel rods, clubs and hockey sticks and blocked Lahore-Faisalabad Road for traffic by placing the bodies on the road.

Muhammad Boota, one of the protesters, said “Four or five people shot Naveed Anwar and his relative Sakhawat Ali dead in Chak 61-RB early in the morning. We informed Balochni police during the attack but no one arrived at the scene and the murderers managed to flee.”

Rafique Ahmad, another protester, said, Anwar and Ali had an old rivalry with some people in the area. “But we couldn’t recognise any of the criminals who shot them.”

The protesters chanted slogans against Balochni police and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits.

A heavy police contingent was sent to the scene of protest and tried to disperse the protesters by baton charging them. The protesters resisted and some of them fired shots in the air. The police retreated for about half a kilometre. No one was reported injured in the clash.



Later, Balochni Station House Officer Usman Warraich arrived at the scene and tried to placate the protesters. He assured them that the culprits would be arrested soon.

The demonstration was then called off and the protesters dispersed.

SHO Usman Warraich told The Express Tribune that they had not received a formal complaint about the incident. He said the bodies had been taken to a mortuary for post-mortem examination. Further action would be taken on receipt of the report.

Warraich said it appeared that Anwar and Ali had been killed over an old rivalry with Muhammad Liaquat among others. He said Liaquat had previously killed two relatives of Anwar and Ali a month and half ago. “We have been looking for them. A police team has been constituted to trace their whereabouts...they will be arrested soon.” He said the protesters had shot bullets in the air to intimidate the police but they hadn’t shot at them. “The police are investigating the incident.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 14^th, 2014.