LARKANA, Dec 27: A pall of gloom descended over the Bhutto hometown as the news of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination reached here on Thursday evening. With people in a state of shock, there were scenes of rioting all around.

Small traders and kiosk owners shut their shops as people came out into the streets, shouting slogans against President Pervez Musharraf, burning tyres and attacking vehicles. Policemen were nowhere to be seen.

Naudero town was completely shut with protestors raising slogans against the government and damaging everything that came in their path.

The protesters set on fire bank branches in various localities of the city, besides torching the District Council Hall in the Jinnahbagh area.

An employee of the Askari Bank told this correspondent on phone that some bank workers were still inside the branch. The main building of the State Life Insurance was damaged and eyewitnesses said that it had been set on fire.

A bakery was also set ablaze. Some protesters in Naudero set on fire the Khushhal Khan Khatak Express at the Shahnawaz Bhutto railway station, reports reaching here said.

A large number of PPP supporters reached Ms Bhutto’s Naudero house to mourn the death of their leader.

Reports reaching here from Shahdadkot indicated that the town was quite tense. Protesters had set ablaze a bank branch, burnt tyres and push-carts right from the ‘Koto Moto’ chowk to the Station Road.

In Qambar, PPP supporters pulled down posters and banners of rival parties and removed flags hoisted over party offices.

Protesters attacked a police station in Badah and burnt a car inside the station. Police personnel ran away from the station while the wireless operator took refuge in a nearby mosque.

In Larkana, a mob tried to break into the Market police station but protesters were dispersed after police lobbed tear-gas shells, sources said.

Rangers and police personnel started patrolling the city at 10.30pm.

The district police officer and the district nazim had called for army’s support to control the situation but troops were not seen anwhere till the filing of this report.

According to eyewitnesses, mobs broke into two arms’ shop near Pakistan Chowk and looted arms and ammunition. Police confirmed that one arms shop had been looted.

Offices of the Education Department near the Govt Girls’ Colleges and Wapda’s office near the Al Murtaza House were also attacked.