KARACHI, June 3: A minibus was set ablaze after a funeral procession turned violent in New Karachi on Tuesday.
The funeral prayer of Abdul Ghaffar, who died on Monday, was offered at a mosque in New Karachi. Abdul Ghaffar had suffered a bullet wound during a clash of the workers of two religious groups on May 23, in Godhra Camp, New Karachi, over the possession of a mosque.
Abdul Ghaffar had struggled for life at a hospital since then but ultimately he succumbed to his injuries. Farhan Rafiq, 13, had died on the spot.
On Tuesday some people gathered at the mosque to attend his funeral prayers. Later when they, as part of a procession, reached the main road, they turned violent.
They lit a bonfire and also set a minibus of route W-11 (JF-0356) on fire. Because the New Karachi’s fire engine was not available, as it had gone to the head office on Nishter Road, a fire engine was dispatched from the Sohrab Goth area which put out the fire and saved the vehicle from being completely destroyed.
The Sunni Tehrik claimed on Tuesday that it wanted to take Abdul Ghaffar’s body to the Chief Minister’s House but the law enforcement agencies had stopped them from doing so. It said Abdul Ghaffar was a member of their elders’ committee.
The law enforcement agencies, who had been deployed in the area concerned, controlled the situation before it could worsen. However, no arrest had so far been made, the police said.
Abdul Ghaffar’s body was later buried at a local graveyard and the people dispersed peacefully.
