March 16, 2003	Sunday	Muharram 12, 1424

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VEHARI, March 15: A five-year-old girl was killed while 10 others, seven of them women, injured when a leader of the banned Sipah-i-Sahaba drove his tractor into Muharram procession at Sahooka town, about 50 kilometres from here, on Friday.

Reports said a procession was taken out from the house of Shiite leader Jahangir Shah about 9am. Reaching near the Sahooka-Chishtian Road, the processionists deviated from their route and passed through the residence of banned Sipah-i-Sahaba’s leader Raees Shah, who is Jahangir’s cousin. Police reportedly failed to stop the marchers from deviating.

Seeing the processionists on his road, Raees Shah took out his tractor and drove it into them, killing Hina Batool, daughter of Akhtar Shah, instantly. As many as 10 other people were hurt and taken to Sahooka rural health centre.

The health centre’s Dr Muhammad Akram told Dawn that four women had been referred to the Burewala Tehsil Headquarters hospital. The injured were identified as Amina bibi, Zahida bibi, Saeeda Begum, Khurshid bibi, Salma bibi, Zahra bibi, Muhammad Idrees, Qamar Batool, Ashiq Shah, Tassaduq Husain Shah and procession leader Jahangir Shah.

Sahooka police have registered a case under section 302, 324 PPC against the SSP leader, who fled after the attack. Police allegedly refused to arrest the accused.

However, an eye-witness said the accused was arrested with his two accomplices namely, Sarfraz Shah and Ali Akhtar Shah, and sent to an unknown place. He added that the accused’s family members had gone underground after the incident, and their houses were locked. At the time of the incident, the patrolling police team was not with the procession, he said, alleging that the policemen were sitting at a shop.

Later, the processionists protested against the incident and burnt the tractor. They blocked traffic on the Sahooka-Chishtian Road for an hour.

Vehari District Police Officer Javed Husain Shah reached there and dispersed the mob, assuring them that the culprits would be brought to book.

Army went out to patrol the area to guard against any more untoward incident.