KARACHI: The Sohrab Goth area remained in the grip of violence on Friday as unidentified miscreants took to streets, shot eight persons, damaged public property and attempted to torch a vehicle.

However, large contingents of police rushed to the troubled area and took a number of suspects into custody and controlled the situation.

Ethnic tensions are flared up in several areas following a strike call given by certain groups in the wake of killing of a man during a scuffle at a tea shop in Hyderabad and subsequent violent fallout in Sohrab Goth on Thursday evening resulting in killing of two persons and injuries to several others, including a boy, according to officials and witnesses.

Commercial activities remained suspended in the particular localities on Friday where police and other law enforcers carried out a flag march to provide a sense of security to citizens.

Police say 45 rioters held in two days; violent protests spread fears in other areas

Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said that eight persons, including a nine-year-old boy, were brought to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital with bullet wounds.

They suffered bullet injuries during the violence at Sohrab Goth and Gulshan-i-Maymar. The condition of three of them was critical, she said.

A traffic police spokesperson said on Friday that both tracks of the Superhighway remained closed to traffic for over half-an-hour in the evening because of the protest.

Vehicles coming from Hyderabad were diverted from Jamali Pull towards Safoora Goth while the vehicles going to Hyderabad were diverted towards Gulshan-i-Iqbal from Adil Shah Ramp.

City police chief Javed Akhtar Odho told Dawn that some miscreants tried to torch an old vehicle at Sohrab Goth and damaged some property when they took to streets after Friday prayers.

However, he added that the police took immediate action and detained around 10-15 persons. He said that since Thursday evening, around 45 people had been arrested on charges of riots and arson attacks.

He said the held suspects were being identified with help of video clips obtained from areas.

East-SSP Syed Abdul Rahim Sherazi said that the protest had ended and both tracks of the highway had been cleared to traffic.

Murder FIR lodged

Meanwhile, the Sohrab Goth police have registered an FIR on behalf of the state through a police officer, Syed Ali Raza, against four identified suspects and 1,500-2,000 unidentified miscreants on charges of killing two people and injuring as many others on Thursday evening during the protest.

The FIR has been lodged under Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 302 (premeditated murder), 324 (attempted murder), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 109 (abetment), of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The complainant said he along with other police officers, including SHO Sohrab Goth Zubair Nawaz were on patrol in an official mobile and when they reached at Malik Aga Hotel at around 1630 hours, they saw four persons — Naimatullah alias Adil Shah, Shafiullah, Jamil Alkozai and Riaz Khan — were chanting ‘provocative’ slogans and drawing attention of people towards the incident that happened in Hyderabad.

The police saw that other people also started to gather there prompting them to call reinforcement and 140 tear gas shells to meet any eventuality. In the meantime, the people got charged and started gathering at Afghan Cut on the Superhighway and instigated violence by provoking others to carry out violent protests. They started pelting stones and set up temporary barriers on the main highway, resulting in suspension of traffic. Some of protesters were carrying firearms while others carried sticks, iron rods and stones.

They started ransacking the Karachi bus terminal at around 1645 hours on Thursday and overpowered two police officers deployed there for security and snatched an official weapon from ASI Mohammed Azam along with 10 live rounds and took his cell phone as well. They also snatched an official sub-machine gun from a police mobile.

The miscreants used these snatched official weapons and other firearms, which they had brought and resorted to direct firing on police with intention to kill them.

The police fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. The miscreants were dispersed, but they again gathered near Jamali Pull. The FIR said that the miscreants snatched valuables from commuters and people travelling by foot in the area and continued firing. They caused substantial damage to public and private property.

The complainant said when they reached the Taj petrol pump, they received information that one person had been shot at and wounded in firing carried out by miscreants. When they reached at a service road near Jamali Cut, they were informed that another person had been shot at and wounded by the miscreants. They also received the information that two other persons also received bullet injuries.

All the four injured people were taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and the Dow University of Health Sciences hospital.

The police took action and arrested 14 suspects and recovered iron rods and stones from their possession while other miscreants dispersed and fled towards different areas.

The complainant said later on, he received the information that out of four injured persons, two had expired. They are identified as Najamul Hasan, 27, Nazeer Ahmed, 45, while the wounded were identified as Qadir Dad, 15, and Nek Zada.

The complainant said four suspects namely Naimatullah, alias Adil Shah; Shafiullah; Jamil Alkozai and Riaz Khan and their three-four unidentified accomplices provoked around 1500-2000 miscreants to carry out riots, killings, looting and snatch official weapons.

The police in order to control the miscreants fired 150 tear gas shells, the FIR added.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2022