GUJRANWALA, Feb 20: Two people were killed and dozens injured in Basant-related incidents here on Friday. Sources said that Mobin, a young journalist attached to an Urdu newspaper , was riding a motorbike when he had his throat slit by kite-string near Sheranwala Bagh early in the morning.
While the DHQ hospital confirmed that his throat was slit by string, his heirs claimed that he had been slaughtered by unidentified people who threw his body on the road.
The Baghbanpura police are investigating the matter. A minor, Allah Rakha, fell off the roof of his house and died while trying to catch a stray kite in Naushera Virkan. Meanwhile, police arrested two dozen drunk and disorderly youths in different parts of the city. The Basant festival was celebrated in and around the city on Thursday night and Friday.
Guests had come from Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and many other cities to enjoy it. The enthusiasts had installed searchlights and tape-recorders on their rooftops.
KASUR: Dozens of children were injured while trying to catch stray kites on roads as Basant celebrations started here on Thursday night alongside the Urs of Baba Imam Shah Bokhari.
Muhammad Arshad (9), Jamil (13), Sadiq (9), Farhan (12), Imtiaz Rasheed (14), Sultan (11) and Rizwan (15) were seriously injured and admitted to the DHQ hospital. Meanwhile, almost all the rooftops in residential and commercial areas were occupied by kite-flyers. The Kasurites had invited their relatives from other parts of the Punjab for the event. Slogans of Bo Kata amid loud music and aerial firing were main features of the celebration besides kite-flying.
The district government had imposed a ban on the purchase, sale and use of metal wire for kite-flying, but some flyers violated the ban. The supply of power was repeatedly disrupted throughout Thursday night and Friday.
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