KARACHI: Relatives and friends of a man, who was shot at and wounded by police, besieged the Mobina Town police station on Abul Hasan Ispahani Road to stage a protest in the wee hours of Saturday morning, prompting authorities to order a probe and suspend the SHO concerned.

East-SSP Zubair Nazeer Shaikh said that Mobina Town SHO Rizwan Razi was suspended and an inquiry ordered against him. If the policemen were found negligent in their conduct, a legal action would be taken against them in light of the findings of the inquiry, he promised.

According to the police and relatives, Usman parked his motorbike in front of a ship to purchase milk when a police team fired at him and took him in custody in an injured condition.

While the law enforcers brought him at the Mobina Town police station, relatives and friends of the wounded man were informed about the actual incident by area people. As a result, they gathered in front of the police station and lodged a forceful protest.

During their protest, enraged area residents smashed the windshield of a police mobile van. They also tried to storm the police station but the authorities shut the main gate and fired into the air to disperse the mob.

Later, the injured man was taken to the Aga Khan University Hospital for treatment.

An officer said that the area SHO claimed that police were ‘chasing’ the motorcyclist and fired at him when he refused to stop. However, the exact circumstances were not clear as the police were waiting for the inquiry to conclude.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2023