KASUR: A woman and her son who were shot dead by rivals on Thursday were laid to rest on Friday after an hours-long protest by family members and locals at village Gahlan Hithar, within Allahabad police jurisdiction.

According to the police, eight suspects riding motorcycles shot dead Asia Bibi and her young son Muhammad Ahmed after they were going back home from court after a murder trial hearing.

The feud began in 2005 and has claimed the lives of six members of the family due to a land dispute. The double murder sparked a protest on Thursday night that continued till Friday morning at Chunian Bypass, where the woman and her son were killed.

Protesters said that a day before the incident, the family had submitted an application to the local police demanding protection from the suspects, who had threatened to kill them on the day of the hearing. They said that the police did not bother with their request.

This is the fourth anti-police protest in a couple of weeks in the area.

Later, the protesters placed the bodies in front of the Chunian police station and raised their voices against lawlessness. They also chanted slogans against the police for their failure to lodge a case and arrest the accused.

The police tried to pacify the protesters in a traditional way and using the traditional language, but in vain.

Asifa Nafees, daughter of the victim, told reporters that rivals had killed her grandfather, father, mother, two uncles, and a brother.

She alleged that instead of arresting the killers, the police had focused on silencing the voice of the bereaved family.

Dejected by the police’s attitude, the protesters decided to block Multan Road near Jamber. As the protesters reached the Changa Manga roundabout, the police barricaded the road. Later, the police and agitators underwent several rounds of dialogue but in vain.

As dialogues failed, the police snatched bodies, and in doing so, they disrespected the bodies that added fuel to the fire.

The police also detained dozens of protesters to pressurize the crowd to vacate the road. The final round of negotiation took place at about 5am, and later, the police released the detained villagers. Villagers demanded action against the police for highhandedness and for keeping them in illegal custody.

The police handed over the bodies to heirs for autopsy and legal formalities. A heavy contingent of police, however, was deputed in the village to assure no protest after the funeral or later. The police started an investigation.

In another incident of highhandedness of the Chunian police, the police tortured and injured elderly man Noor Muhammad, allegedly on the behest of his rivals, on Wednesday.

Police, however, denied the allegation of undue influence and said the man in custody was wanted in several cases of drug selling.

The police also claimed that Noor was arrested some days back and 1,500-gram charas was recovered from him.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2023