OKARA: An irate crowd on Tuesday slapped an MPA and injured an Elite Force constable at Deepalpur’s Pakpattan Chowk, where it had gathered to protest a double murder by robbers a day earlier.

On Monday, three robbers stopped Muhammad Nawaz and his son Riaz, both grocers by profession, and shot at them for resisting cash-snatching. Riaz succumbed to his injuries soon afterwards while Nawaz was referred to Lahore, where he succumbed to his wounds.

Scores of people including the relatives of the slain persons brought the dead bodies to Pakpattan Chowk and chanted slogans, and refused to bury their dear ones until the arrest of the killers. A number of traders joined the protest by keeping their shutters down.

MPA slapped in bid to placate protesters

PML-N MPA Malik Ali Abbas Khokhar and District Police Officer Babar Bakht Qureshi reached there to engage the crowd in talks during the course of which a group of protesters pelted the police and vehicles with stones and slapped the MPA. The DPO took to heels to seek shelter in his official jeep.

During the violence, MPA’s guard Niaz Ahmad, an Elite Force constable, suffered an iron rod blow on his leg which got fractured. The police contingent resorted to aerial firing to disperse the crowd.

Later, PML-N district president Syed Zahid Gilani came to placate the protesters as did PPP MPA Mian Khurram Jahangir Wattoo, who had to go back to avoid hostility. Zahid Gilani assured the protesters that he would quit the party office if the culprits were not taken into custody within 24 hours.

The family handed over the bodies to the police for autopsy after which the father and the son were laid to rest.

The Anjuman-i-Tajran announced strike for Wednesday and said they would decide the future course of action.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2014