Attack on Mehfil-e-Sama: Three including a brigadier killed in Sargodha

Unknown assailants open fire at people listening to Sama in a Dargah

FAISALABAD:

Unknown attackers on Saturday night sprayed bullets at the participants of a Mehfil-e-Sama, killing three people including a serving brigadier and injuring six.

Talking to The Express Tribune via phone, the SHO Cantt Sargodha police station Farooq Hasanat said a Mehfil-e-Simah was underway at Darbar Astana Fazal after the Isha prayers when unknown people, riding on motorbikes, attacked the gathering and opened indiscriminate fire.

“As a result of firing, the Mutwalli (keeper) of the Darbar – Fazal Qadri, his brother brigadier Fazal Rabbani and another participant Dr Ayub died on the spot while the six other people received multiple injuries,” Hasanat said.

According to an eyewitness, Muhammad Ramzan, the devotees at the gathering panicked as a result of the firing and started fleeing in every direction, which gave the assailant an easy way to escape.

The injured were rushed to District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital Sargodha where doctors were providing intensive care treatment to the wounded persons, he said, adding that the condition of two of the injured was serious.

Following the attack, the Regional Police Officer (RPO) Sargodha Ahmad Ishaq Jahangir, District Police Officer (DPO) Raja Muhammad Basharat and heavy police contingent rushed at the spot and collected the forensic evidences.

“Various teams have been constituted to trace out the culprits and the police are also ascertaining the facts leading behind this carnage,” the RPO to the media persons.

SHO Cantt Sargodha said the police had not received any formal complaint of the incident. “Therefore, no case of the incident is registered so far,” he added.

He said information is being gathered to ascertain the cause of firing and the motive behind this gruesome attack. “Both the dead bodies have been dispatched to the mortuary for postmortem and further action will be taken on the receipt of formal complaint and postmortem report,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 7^th, 2014.