HYDERABAD: Angry protesters in a large number surrounded a police mobile van when the occupants arrived at the site of a road accident to take custody of the errant driver of the killer vehicle — belonging to the brother of an influential grower of Sindh — from some people who had caught hold of him on Sunday.

No untoward incident occurred though it took the police considerably long time to persuade the mob to hand over the driver, Ali Hassan, to them.

Shocked onlookers gathered at the site after a three-year-old girl, Hoor Fatima, accompanying her mother, was knocked down outside Expo Centre — where a farmers’ market’ was organised by the local administration recently — on Sunday.

Some of them caught hold of the driver with intention to take law into their hands but police timely arrived on the spot.

Hoor Fatima, daughter of Abdul Ghaffar Qazi, was hit by the vehicle — belong to the brother of influential grower Haji Nisar Memon — when she suddenly came out of the Expo Centre, falling with in the limits of the Pinyari police station.

While the charged mob was engaged in a heated argument with the police party MPA Nasir Qureshi also arrived to help prevent an untoward incident.

In the meantime, Haji Nisar Memon, his son and nephew visited the bereaved family at their residence in Noorani Basti to console them. Haji Nisar told the family that he would accept any decision taken by them about the errant driver. He also offered financial assistance to the family.

However, the deceased girl’s parents did nt accept the offers and forgave the driver. Later, the driver was let off by the police.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2020