UMERKOT: A complete shutdown was observed across Umerkot district and Mithi on Friday in protest against the killing of two brothers during a robbery in Umerkot on Thursday night.

Protesters took out rallies and staged sit-ins in several towns of Umerkot and Mithi districts, to condemn the incident.

Ashok Kumar, 28, and Heralal, 45, were returning home on a motorcycle after closing their confectionery shop when armed robbers intercepted them at a place between Rama Pir Chowk and Teen Talwar Chowk. They offered resistance as they were reportedly carrying an amount of around Rs500,000. The robbers opened fire killing both of them on the spot.

The incident sparked protest across the city as relatives of the victims, carrying the bodies, held a sit-in at Teen Talwar Chowk to demand arrest of the culprits. More people from Umerkot, Samaro, Kunri, Pithoro, Ghulam Nabi Shah, Dhoronaro and other areas joined in the sit-in.

Participants in the protest rallies taken out in Samaro, Dhoronaro and Raja Rasti also marched up to Umerkot on Friday to take part in the sit-in.

As most of the protesters belonged to the Hindu community, the incident took the colour of communal strife and PPP leadership in the district had to control the situation by telling people that it was wrong to take it the killing on communal grounds.

At about midnight, Deputy Commissioner Nadeemur Rehman reached the hospital and called out the Rangers personnel to help police bring the situation under control.

PPP Umerkot information secretary Burhanuddin Kumhar told the protesters that it was a purely crime incident that had nothing to do with religion. He criticised MNA Lal Malhi for leading a group of Hindu youths, who went on a rampage at the Umerkot District Hospital, where a post-mortem examination of the two victims was to be performed on Thursday night.

The youths obstructed the process and harassed doctors and other staff, who ran to safety.

Mr Kumhar alleged that doctors and paramedics were beaten up by the youths at the instigation of MNA Malhi.

Meanwhile, Senator Hari Ram Kishorilal along with the Umerkot SSP on Friday held negotiations with the protesters and persuaded them to take away the bodies for cremation.

Mr Kishorilal advised them to maintain peace and asked Hindu youths not to create problems in the investigation process by indulging in violence.

Sindh Minister Syed Ali Mardan Shah and MPA Syed Sardar Shah, condemning the incident, asked the officials concerned to ensure arrest of the killers. They also advised MNA Malhi not to issue provocative statements to politicise the incident.

They observed that elected representatives should be extra-cautious as their acts could maintain or destroy communal harmony.

PPP MNA Nawab Yusuf Talpur, MNA Mahesh Kumar Malani, Kirshan Sharma of the District Development Authority, Kapil Dev of the Minority Rights Watch, Dr Haider Malokhani of Green Rural Development and Zulfiquar Shah of the PILER also condemned the incident and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2014