LOWER DIR: The brutal killing of a minor boy in Badwan sparked grief and anger among residents, triggering a strong protest demonstration in Chakdara on Sunday.

A day earlier, a mutilated body of a seven-year-old Afnan, son of Dawood, resident of Tor Gatu Badwan, was recovered from a nearby hill. He had gone missing a day before and was mercilessly stoned to death. The Chakdara police registered a case on the complaint of his father and launched investigation.

The traders and residents staged a demonstration in Chakdara against the brutal killing of the child. They placed the body on the road and vowed to continue their protest till the arrest of culprit.

The president of anjuman tajiran Chakdara, Khwaja Faizul Ghafoor, JUI-F Adenzai chief Imran Haqqani, PTI’s Rizwan Badwani, JI Youth tehsil president Manzoor and Maulana Habibun Nabi and others participated in the protest and addressed the protesters. They condemned the incident as barbaric and demanded a thorough inquiry and exemplary punishment for the killer.

They warned that unchecked brutality invited divine wrath, adding that children were innocent and deserved special protection. SHO Fazal Ghafoor Khan of Chakdara police station assured the protesters that the matter was being investigated and the culprits would be traced soon.

The protesters dispersed peacefully after his assurance.

Meanwhile, a grade-9 student in Bagh Maidanwas shot dead by unidentified assailants while he was collecting firewood on a nearby hill on Saturday.

According to the police and locals, Mohammad Salar, son of Mohammad Islam, a ninth-grade student at the Government Higher Secondary School Bagh Maidan, was shot dead by unidentified assailants. The attackers fled after the incident. The victim was laid to rest in his ancestral village of Bishgram, Maidan on Sunday.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2025