SUKKUR: Three tribesmen were killed and a student was critically wounded when two rival groups traded fire at a government school in Burri Sethar village of Shikarpur district on Saturday.

Locals claimed that armed Mahar and Jatoi tribesmen exchanged fire on the premises of the school but the area police said the clash took place at Burri bus stop, outside the school.

The deceased victims were identified as Abdul Razzaq Mahar, a resident of the same village, Jamil Mahar, a resident of Thanriyo Mahar village, and Sohbat Gharani Jatoi, a resident of Jogi Jatoi village.

The wounded student was identified as Faizan Sethar.

Officials at the Rustam police station and residents of Burri Sethar village told the media that the Mahar victims were first taken to the Shikarpur Civil Hospital for emergency treatment but when they were referred to the Sukkur Civil Hospital due to their critical condition, they succumbed to their injuries on the way.

The Jatoi victim also died while being transported to the Khanpur Mahar hospital, they added.

According to sources, one group led by Saad Khanani Jatoi and the other led by some Mahar tribesman had an old enmity over murders of their respective members. They added that the Jatoi group in fact intended to target Niaz Mahar, said to be a clerk posted at the school, but faced armed resistance from Razzaq Mahar and Jamil Mahar, apparently outside the school. The student, Faizan Sethar, happened to be there and was caught in crossfire, they said.

Relatives of the deceased Mahars alleged that armed associates of Saad Khanani Jatoi attacked their loved-ones at the Govt High School Burri Sethar and killed Razzaq and Jamil.

Soon after the incident, Shikarpur SSP Shahzeb Cha­char told the media that the two rival groups fought a gun battle in the village falling within the Rustam police station area. He denied that the clash took place inside the school, clarifying that the actual place was the Burri bus stop near the school. He took notice of the incident and dispatched a strong contingent drawn from several police stations to bring the situation under control and arrest all those involved in the violent acts.

The police force led by the Khanpur DSP and Rustam SHO was carrying out raids at different places within the troubled area to arrest the suspects when the last reports came in late in the evening.

Two killed in drive-by shooting

In Kandhkot, armed men, believed to be Domki clansmen, opened fire on a motorcycle killing two of its riders and wounding their companion on Saturday.

According to police, the victims were members of the Bangwar clan. They said the assailants were riding a car and they sped away after committing the crime.

They said that Arbelo Bangwar and Gul Hassan Bangwar died on the spot and Bakhsh Ali Bangwar was critically wounded in the attack which took place near the Jam Wahi area along the Indus Highway in Kandhkot.

The victims were taken to the Kandhkot Civil Hospital, where a postmortem examination of the deceased was performed. The wounded victim was referred to the Sukkur Civil Hospital due to his precarious condition.

The police linked the attack to an old enmity between the two rivals. The bodies were handed over to the heirs after legal formalities, they said.

Meanwhile, a video clip was posted on the social media showing some Domkis celebrating the revengeful attack.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2025