KARACHI: Shooting by Rangers triggers disturbances
By Arman Sabir
KARACHI, May 17: Violence broke out near Sohrab Goth intersection on Monday after Rangers shot and wounded a madressah teacher. The rioting caused six-hour disruption in vehicular traffic on Super Highway.
Police registered a case against Rangers on the complaint of the wounded man. The director general of Sindh Rangers Maj-Gen Javed Zia ordered a departmental inquiry into the incident and said stern action would be taken against the guilty.
According to witnesses and police, a man on motorcycle, later known as Qari Mohammad Iqbal Rasheed, was stopped during snap checking by a Rangers patrol party near Sohrab Goth intersection.
The Qari indulged in arguments with the Rangers which led to a scuffle. As the Rangers ordered the man not to leave, he ignored the order and tried to speed away. After repeating the halt warning, the Rangers opened fire.
The Qari received all the three bullets fired by the Rangers and fell down. He was taken to a private hospital by his students at a madressah located nearby. An Rangers official, requesting anonymity, said that Rangers had to open fire to stop the man who was trying to escape. He did not comment when asked if the Rangers had the authority to shoot a man who would ignore their order to stop.
He, however, maintained that the Rangers regarded him a suspect and fired shots in a bid to stop him. The Rangers claim was disputed by witnesses who said that the Rangers had resorted to shooting after getting provoked and not in a fit of suspicion.
A senior police official pointed out that the Rangers had been called out as a back-up support for the city police. They did not have the right to carry out snap checking without taking along the police.
However, a Rangers official insisted that the Rangers could conduct snap checking independently even without police. Soon after the incident, a number of people took to the street and blocked the Super Highway disrupting vehicular traffic. They pelted stones at moving vehicles and also attacked the Rangers vehicle which sped away.
Some of the enraged protesters lit bonfire and placed burning tyres in the middle of the Super Highway, Shahrah-i-Pakistan and Rashid Minhas Road. During the disturbances, which lasted about six hours, the traffic from and towards the Super Highway was diverted to alternative routes.
Police fired teargas shells to disperse the protesters and bring the situation under control. The protesters also attacked police with stones. They were demanding action against the Rangers personnel who shot and injured an 'innocent' person. They also demanded that Rangers be sent back to their barracks.
After the situation was brought under control by police, the Rangers rejoined them in clearing the roads which were littered with stones, burnt tyres and junk. It took several hours to reopen the roads.
The Federal B Industrial Area police have registered the FIR No. 48/04 against the Rangers officials for shooting and wounding Qari Mohammad Iqbal Rasheed, confirmed a police official.
INQUIRY: The Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) DG, Maj-Gen Javed Zia has taken strict notice of the firing incident in Sohrab Goth area on Monday and ordered a departmental inquiry into the matter, adds APP.
He held out the assurance that if any Ranger personnel was found involved, strict action would be taken against him. Expressing regret over the incident, he said that it was foremost duty of law-enforcement organizations to provide security to the life and property of people and no slackness in the discharge of such responsibility would be tolerated.
He appealed to the people to extend full cooperation to the enforcers of law and abide by the law so that the impediments in the way of establishing law and order could be removed.
