HYDERABAD: A man was killed and at least 35 people, including a few women, were wounded in celebratory firing during the festivities in different parts of the city in the early hours of Thursday.

The deceased, Khalil Qureshi, was hit by a stray bullet when some youths fired into the air, police said.

The wounded victims received bullet and pallet wounds during the celebratory firing in different parts of the city, they added.

In Umerkot, celebratory firing by revellers left a man, Zohaib Qambrani, 19, dead and another person Hafiz Ishtiaq, wounded at Bukhari Chowk. The victims with bullet wounds were taken to the Kunri Taluka Hospital, where doctors pronounced Mr Qambrani dead on arrival. Angry youths belonging to the Qambrani community went on the rampage at the Kunri hospital and tried to harass doctors on duty. The hospital staff referred Mr Ishtiaq to a Hyderabad hospital due to his serious condition and doctors’ inability to attend to him.

Celebratory firing in Mirpurkhas also left three persons wounded. They were provided treatment at the city’s civil hospital.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2014