PESHAWAR: Local residents on Tuesday blocked Kohat Road for over two and a half hours in protest against the death of a youngster in an alleged police encounter in the provincial capital.

Qaisar Shah of Ghari Saydan locality on Kohat Road was killed in the alleged encounter late on Monday.

The police claim the youngster died in exchange of fire while trying to escape and that he was asked to stop at police checkpoints.

However, locals deny the charge asserting the police killed Qaisar in cold blood.

They said Qaisar Shah slowly hemorrhaged to death as the police took around two hours to take him to the hospital. On Tuesday, family members of Qaisar along with area residents placed the body on Kohat Road to protest what they called the ‘murder’.

However, they dispersed after police officials led by SP Rural Circle Shakir Bangash assured them of free and fair investigation into the alleged encounter.

Local elders later met Peshawar SSP (operations) Dr Mian Saeed, who assured them that the police would hold a fair investigation into the circumstances, which led to the killing of Qaisar, and punish the suspects if found guilty.

PML-N councillor Rehamdil Nawaz claimed the police had killed Qaisar in cold blood. According to him, after being shot by the police, Qaisar had contacted his family and apprised them of his bullet injuries.

However, the family road blocked over youth’s killing in ‘encounter’ received his body at the Lady Reading Hospital.“The body had several bullet marks. The policemen put the injured boy in a mobile van before killing him by firing several bullets in his body,” he claimed.

The councillor said the police took over two hours to take the injured to the hospital.

He said the deceased was a third-year student and also ran a spare parts shop on Kohat Road.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Peshawar Dr Mian Saeed insisted the youngster was a mobile snatcher, who tried to run away after the police stopped him.

“He (Qaisar Shah) opened fire on police personnel and killed in exchange of fire,” he said, adding that police had found the forged Frontier Reserve Police credentials on his body.

The police said the rider squad personnel also sustained injuries in exchange of fire.

Published in Dawn ,July 15th, 2015

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