KARACHI: There has been a 32 per cent rise in the number of people killed by law enforcement agencies (LEAs) in a single month of January in 2015 as compared to the number of people killed by the LEAs during the same month in 2014, though the overall number of people killed during both the corresponding periods decreased by 29 per cent, a report has said.

The report prepared by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and released on Tuesday says that the number of people killed by the LEAs in Jan 2015 was 52 in the city as compared to the 36 killings carried out by the LEAs during Jan 2014.

The report says that the total number of people killed in Jan 2014 was 273 as compared to 194 killings during Jan 2015.

The report giving the breakdown of the 52 killings in Jan 2015 says that 43 people were killed in police encounters, while seven were killed by soldiers / paramilitary forces and two were killed by security guards. In the corresponding period in 2014, the report says that 27 people were killed in police encounters, five were killed by soldiers / paramilitary forces and four were killed by security guards making the total of 36 killings.

The number of LEA personnel killed during Jan 2014 was 23 which included 22 policemen and one soldier / paramilitary, whereas in Jan 2015 the number of policemen killed was 18 and one soldier / paramilitary was also killed.

The report says that 114 men were killed in Jan 2015. These included 33 targeted killing of non-political persons, political activists killed (11), sectarian killings (eight), abducted and killed (eight), dead bodies found (16), killed in bomb blasts (one), killed in Lyari gang warfare (seven) and killed by banned outfits (11).

Three children were also killed during Jan 2015. One of them was killed in a bomb blast, another one due to enmity, and the third one owing to negligence. Four women were killed in Jan 2014. Two of them were killed by unidentified people, one was killed in a bomb blast while the forth one was killed on the railway tracks. Two men were killed by stray bullets, three owing to toxic wine / drug overdose while four were killed on railway tracks. Three men were killed by robbers and eight owing to enmity.

The data of 273 killings in Jan 2014 shows that 186 people that were killed included 18 sectarian killings, abducted and killed (seven), targeted killing non-political person (73), political activists (five), dead bodies found (44), killed in bomb blasts (five), killed in Lyari gang warfare (eight) and killed by banned outfits (three). Four men were killed by robbers and 11 were killed due to enmity.

The report says that 11 children were killed in Jan 2014. Four of them were killed due to enmity, two were killed in bomb blasts, one by stray bullet, one was raped and killed, one due to negligence and reasons for four deaths could not be defined.

The report says that 15 women were also killed during Jan 2014. Five of them were killed by relatives and six by unidentified people, three by stray bullets and one was killed in a bomb blast. Five men were killed by stray bullets, two were killed due to toxic wine / drug overdose, and three were killed on the railway tracks.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2015

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