HYDERABAD: 90 injured as unruly motorcyclists mar festivities
By Our Correspondent
HYDERABAD, Aug 14: More than 90 people suffered injuries, five from stray bullets and the rest in road accidents mainly caused by reckless driving by unruly and underage bikers as the city launched into the 60th Independence Day celebrations on Monday night just before the clock struck 12:00 and afterwards.
Parts of the city kept reverberating with gunshots throughout the night with no policeman deployed in any area to stop them contrary to the claims of DPO Imran Shaukat who had said at a meeting with district nazim on Aug 10 that 3,000 personnel of police would be deployed at public and private places, buildings and parks to maintain law and order on Aug 14.
The police official had said that an advanced intelligence network had been established with two control rooms operating round the clock to tackle any untoward incident during the day. Besides, close TV circuit (CCTV) cameras would also be installed at important places, roundabouts and public places to detect the miscreants, he had claimed.
The injured youths continued to be brought to the Civil Hospital and Shah Bhittai Hospital in Latifabad until early Tuesday morning but it appeared no personnel of any law enforcing agency took any notice though the DCO had said that the SHOs would conduct snap-checking of vehicles under the supervision of SPOs but nothing was seen on ground.
A solemn event until a couple of years ago the Independence Day celebrations as well as the other important days have become a permanent cause of inconvenience for people in the city because police never bother to stop the unruliness.
Those who suffered injuries from stray bullets included a young boy, a young girl and a seven year old child. A teenaged boy, Amir, Sheeraz and Aqeel sustained injuries when a weapon accidentally went off at an Independence Day function in Mumtaz Colony of Unit-2 Latifabad in the jurisdiction of Hussainabad police station.
A young girl, Moater, was hit by a stray bullet in Pinjra Pole area when she was asleep while seven-year-old Ahmed Raza was hit by a stray bullet in Liaquat Colony. Except for Amir and Sheeraz, the rest were admitted to the Civil Hospital.
The unruly youths virtually ruled the roads throughout the night plying their silencer-less bikes at breakneck speed. They started the dangerous game on Monday evening and continued it until dawn on all the main roads of the city.
They blocked main roads and did not allow anybody to get across the road as they danced and exploded powerful crackers or performed one-wheel driving (driving bikes on one wheel).
In some cases they did not even allow ambulances to move ahead. Families including couples who had come out of homes to have a ride felt harassed and strained as the bikers would not let them drive peacefully.
Waving flags of Muttahida Qaumi Movement, People’s Party Parliamentarians, PPP-SB and Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz, they danced on Gymkhana Chowk, Salahuddin Road, Tilak Incline, Kohinoor Chowk and Civil Hospital roundabout. Some youths resorted to heavy aerial firing at the Civil Hospital Chowk, Tilak Incline and Saddar.
“It's a demonstration of enlightened moderation. They have forgotten the fact that millions had sacrificed their lives for this country to live in peace,” said a tea shop owner, Ghazi Salahuddin.
The shop owner had to close his shop after countless number of boys gathered in front of his shop on the main road. “We have no option but to close our shops. See! what is happening in front of my shop on the road. I can't take the risk to visit the city,” said a haleem seller at Tilak Incline.
“The noise on such occasions has become a headache for us and there is no one to stop them. I am feeling my nerves strained and bruised from the noise pollution,” said a housewife.
It was found after a visit to the city that no deployment of police had been made and no one knew where those CCTV cameras had been installed while police did not file even a single case for firearm injuries caused to five persons.
The police did not adopt the security arrangements they had made on the New Year eve when they had completely blocked certain roads with barbed wires as a security measure.
