November 16, 2003	Sunday	Ramazan 20, 1424

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MULTAN, Nov 15: Riots broke out in Pakpattan on Saturday when students of a college and several schools came out on roads to protest the killing of a fellow in an accident.

Imran Ahmed was waiting for a transport at a bus stand near Dhok Chishti village to reach his Government Degree College in Pakpattan when a speeding bus ran him over. He died on the spot.

Listening to the tragic incident, students boycotted the classes and started protest at the College Chowk by burning used tyres. They also pelted stones on some of the public transport vehicles.

Later, they went to some nearby high schools and persuaded students to join them in their protest. Soon the protesting students assumed the form of a mob, comprising hundreds of people. Spread in groups, they reportedly went on a rampage throughout the town. They damaged vehicles and property on Sahiwal Road, Nagina Chowk, College Road, Bijli Chowk and Jamal Chowk.

They reassembled at the local general bus stand and torched a bus besides damaging several other buses by pelting stones and hitting them with clubs and iron rods. “The life at Pakpattan had had been paralysed as the unruly protesters were not letting anything to evade their wrath,” an eyewitness informed by telephone.

However, the protesters did not stop here as they gathered outside the local DHQ Hospital and started pelting stones, smashing window panes of the emergency ward. They dispersed when the police resorted to baton charge.

A senior police official said that initially the police were in very small number, but the situation was brought under control when more police contingents were called out from other areas.

All the same, it took four hours that the police could manage to disperse the protesters, who had also attacked and ransacked offices of the tehsil municipal administration.

Police have reportedly arrested some of the students while more arrests are being expected in the next 24 hours.

A police official said that cases against the protesters were being registered at the City and Farid Nagar police stations.

Meanwhile, the Sadar police have registered a case against the bus driver, Zulfikar, who was still at large till the filing of this report.

Donga Bonga: The Donga Bonga police on Saturday registered a murder case against its former SHO and the medical officer of the rural health centre on the report of the father of one of the victims of the Thursday’s police firing incident.

The Bahawalnagar police authorities had appointed inspector Pervez Jatoi the new SHO of the ransacked Donga Bonga police station on Friday night, and put a contingent of 225 personnel under his command to maintain law and order in the area.

When talked about the situation, Inspector Jatoi said after assuming charge of the Donga Bonga PS, he visited the area alone and urged people to come to their normal life. He said he had announced this request through loud speakers of various mosques situated in four corners of the small market town of Donga Bonga. “I enjoy good relations with the people of Donga Bonga because I had served as SHO here before this,” he added.

He said the police station’s building was not in a working condition and, therefore, he and his force were encamped in tents outside it. He said a case under sections 302, 324, 148 and 149 had been registered against inspector Yousaf Pehalwan, Donga Bonga’s former SHO, and the RHC MO, Dr Tahir Hassan, on the report of Yousaf Shah’s father Syed Ahmad Sabir.

In the FIR, the complainant has stated that he and his son were standing outside their construction material shop when hundreds of people were protesting against the Donga Bonga SHO and the health centre MO for their alleged corrupt practices, in front of the RHC.

The mob, he said, was pushing the gates of the health centre to enter in where the inspector and Dr Tahir were present. In the meanwhile, Bahawalnagar District Police Officer Muhammad Umer Sheikh arrived on the troubled spot and ordered protection of the two officials inside the building.

When the police brought them out, the people became infuriated and on seeing them, Inspector Yousaf and Dr Tahir opened fire at them, leaving his son and another bystander, Muhammad Arshad, dead.

Meanwhile, the traders of Donga Bonga observed a strike on Saturday against the incident. The lawyers of Bahawalnagar also observed strike to express solidarity with the people of Donga Bonga.

PPP MNA Mumtaz Ahmad Matiana at a rally criticized the police and the district Nazim for their alleged apathy.

Later, he reportedly led the rally to the office of the Donga Bonga union council Nazim Rao Hashmat and protested against the incident.