PESHAWAR: The students of Edwardes College Peshawar held a protest demonstration here on Thursday and demanded early arrest of robbers involved in the murder of their fellow student.

The relatives of slain student Hassan Tariq also participated in the protest. Holding banners and placards, members of different student organisations took out the protest procession from the college and held demonstration for early arrest of the killers.

On Wednesday, mobile snatchers had shot dead Hassan Tariq, a 17-year-old student of Edwardes College, on Mufti Mehmood Flyover, a heavily guarded area of the provincial capital.

Police said that Tariq was going home in an auto-rickshaw after attending classes when two motorcyclists intercepted the three-wheeler and asked him to hand them over his mobile phone. They shot him dead on resistance.

The protesters blocked GT Road to traffic and chanted slogans against government and police. They said that FIR was registered by East police station but police refused to include sections 302, 324 and 392 in it and registered the case under Section 395.

The student, they said, was killed in the red zone where provincial assembly, Peshawar High Court, Corps Commander House, Governor’s House and other government offices were located. They said that people were not secure even in the sensitive area.

The protesters questioned the performance of police and said that the student was robbed and killed in a highly sensitive area but they could not even get the CCTV footage of the incident.

However, police officials on the occasion said that they obtained footages of close circuit cameras and different teams of investigators were busy to arrest the killers at the earliest.

Later, the protesters dispersed peacefully.

Meanwhile, caretaker Chief Minister Mohammad Azam Khan has taken notice of the killing of the student.

According to a statement, he ordered suspension of the relevant station house officer and directed the police chief to submit a report into the student’s killing.

“Those involved in the murder will be arrested and brought to justice,” the statement quoted Mr Khan as saying. He said that it was alarming that such incidents took place in broad daylight. He said that solid steps should be taken to avoid such incidents in future.

The caretaker chief minister showed sympathy with the bereaved family.

The caretaker minister for information, Feroze Jamal Shah Kakakhel, visited Manga Dargai area of Charsadda district, the native village of the slain student.

He assured Tariq’s relatives that all available resources were being utilised to bring his killers to justice. He said that special teams were actively working on the case.

The minister also visited Edwardes College and met Principal Shujaat Ali Khan and other faculty members. SPS Operations Kashif Aftab Abbasi briefed them on the progress in the case, according to a statement.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2023