KARACHI: A 14-year-old Karachi youngster was shot dead in an alleged encounter, triggering protests by his relatives.
The incident took place in Karachi’s Orangi-5 area, where Arsalan Mehsud was shot dead by police while his friend sustained bullet wounds.
After the incident took place, Mehsud’s relatives arrived at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and staged a sit-in protest to demand justice for the boy.
Mehsud’s relatives rejected the police’s version, saying that he was a student and was not guilty of any wrongdoing.
“No firearm was recovered from Arsalan. Police killed him in a fake encounter,” members of the bereaved family stated.
Police had earlier claimed that they had tried to stop two men on a motorcycle at a picket. The two men, in response, opened fire instead of stopping, claimed police.
Police said one of the suspects died while his accomplice managed to escape.
However, DIG West Nasif Aftab rejected the statement of the police officer who had shot at the victim, saying that the suspicious encounter did not take place at the picket. Rather, he said it took place at a distance from it.
According to the DIG West, the on-duty police personnel who fired at the youngsters was in plainclothes, not in his uniform. The police officer involved in the incident has been taken into custody, he disclosed.
A three-member inquiry committee comprising SSP Central, SSP Investigation Central and SP Gulberg has been formed to investigate the incident. The SHO Orangi has been suspended over the incident.
The committee will present its report after 24 hours after which immediate action will be taken based on its findings, said the DIG West.
According to a news outlet, the police have registered a first information report (FIR) under sections 34 (common intention), 109 (punishment of abetment if the act abetted committed in consequence and where no express provision is made for its punishment), 302 (murder), 324 (attempted murder) and 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Leader of Opposition in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh arrived on the spot after hearing about the incident.
According to a report, the deceased was the son of a local transporter.
