SUKKUR: Enraged over alleged abduction of a woman and her sister belonging to the Chauhan community, a group of armed men attacked and torched at least 10 houses in Sham Kaladi village near Rohri on Sunday. A four-year-old girl trapped in flames died in the incident.

According to local reporters, the woman intended to contract a freewill marriage with a youth belonging to the Panhwar community. As she left her house along with her sister, the affected family complained to the community elders and claimed that the two sisters had been abducted by some Panhwar men. Amid unrest over the incident, a group of enraged men attacked the houses of the Panhwar community and ransacked them while resorting to aerial firing. More than 10 of the houses were torched.

Members of the Panhwar community alleged that the attackers belonged to the Chauhan community. They approached officials at the Dubar police station with complaint that certain members of the Chauhan community went on the rampage targeting their houses. They said the attackers resorted to heavy firing into the air to harass people in Panhwars’ neighbourhood before ransacking and torching many houses.

The police rushed to the village but found that the attackers had already left the area.

Meanwhile, the body of a four-year-old girl was retrieved from a burnt out house. Her name could not be ascertained till late in the evening.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2022