THATTA: Residents of Pir Patho village on Friday resumed their protest against murder of a 14-year-old girl allegedly by a police party during a search operation a day earlier.

They claimed that contents of the FIR, registered after their protest on Thursday, were manipulated.

All 17 officers and personnel posted at the Pir Patho police station of Thatta district were suspended and an investigation into the death of the 14-year-old girl, Abida Mallah, was ordered after the incident that had taken place on Thursday morning.

Hashim Karolhai, Khuda Bux and Ismail Karolahi lodged an FIR against the raiding party accusing it of trespassing the house, manhandling the inmates and resorting to firing in the name of a house search.

They alleged that Abida Mallah sustained fatal bullet wounds when one of the personnel opened fire during the action.

Soon after the incident, the shocked and enraged citizens along with other residents of Pir Patho and civil society activists took out a rally carrying the girl’s body.

They marched up to the nearby section of the Thatta-Ghorabari Road and held a sit-in to demand action against the police party.

The road remained closed to vehicular traffic for a couple of hours until Thatta SSP Shabbir Ahmed Sethar ordered an inquiry against the police personnel involved in the episode. He placed all officers and personnel under suspension and ordered registration of an FIR as per the affected family’s desire.

The SSP has constituted a committee of three DSPs to hold the inquiry.

Siddique Panhwar and three constables were booked in the murder case and one of the constables, Noor Ali Palijo, was arrested.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2018