DADU: A shutterdown was obser­­ved amid widespread protests in Bhan Syedabad town after a motorcycle rider was killed in an accident involving a vehicle of the caravan escorting Sindh Labour Minister Ghulam Murtaza Baloch while it was passing through the Indus Highway on Tuesday.

Jamshoro SSP Tauquir Naeem told Dawn that the police squad from Karachi along with the minister’s personal guards was escorting him to Larkana but while it was passing through a locality, some 22 kilometres from here along the highway, a buffalo suddenly appeared in front of the caravan.

The driver of the one of the police vans applied brakes but during his attempt to avoid hitting the buffalo, the van collided with a motorcycle moving next to the animal, he said, adding that as a result, the bike rider was seriously injured and later died during treatment at the government hospital in Bhan Syedabad.

The minister’s caravan stopped at the accident site for some time and then resumed its journey.

As soon as the news about the victim’s death spread in the town, groups of enraged people took to the streets demanding arrest of the van driver and registration of FIR against the minister as well as the hospital’s medical superintendent, whom they accused of causing an inordinate delay in providing proper treatment to the victim, identified as Imran Panhwar, a resident of the same town.

The protesters lit bonfire in the middle of several roads, including the entry/exit points of the town at Pir Shakh, Johi-Bhan Syedabad road and Bhan Syedabad bypass, causing suspension of all vehicular traffic to and from the town. The blockage continued for six hours during which groups of angry protesters marched through various streets. Shopkeepers and vendors closed their businesses amid panic and fear.

One of the protesting groups led by family members and other relatives of deceased Imran Panhwar held a demonstration in front of the local press club and raised slogans against the minister, police and hospital administration.

Speaking to the protesters, the victim’s cousin, Aijaz Panhwar, alleged that Imran was rushed to the hospital in a critical condition but the doctors and other staff present there did not pay due attention to him. He claimed that an inordinate delay was caused in providing him proper treatment and the medical superintendent, Dr Ghulam Sarwar Channa, adop­ted an indifferent attitude. He insi­s­ted that the delay caused Imran’s death. He also demanded arrest of the errant van driver and registration of an FIR against the MS. Imran’s uncle Ghulam Panh­war called for registration of a murder case against the minister as well.

After failing to bring the situation in the town back to normal, the area police announced that an FIR against the errant driver, Haji Shakir Jokhio, was registered and the police van he was driving was impounded. They also announced that an FIR was registered against MS Dr Channa on the complaint of Lutuf Panhwar and an investigation into the allegation of negligence against the hospital staff initiated.

The protesters then dispersed and cleared the highway.

MS Dr Channa rejected the allegations of negligence or delay in providing proper treat to Imran. Speaking to local reporters, he said doctors and paramedics tried their best to save his life by providing prompt and proper treatment to him but he could not survive owing to his critical injuries.It was learnt that Labour Minister Ghulam Murtaza Baloch, Pakistan Peoples Party MPA Sajid Ali Jok­hio and several other party activists travelling in the caravan were destined for Larkana to offer their condolences to former home minister Sohail Anwar Siyal on his father’s death. The caravan had left Karachi in the morning.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2018