RAWALPINDI: A family of an elderly woman, who died in a road accident, blocked Chur Chowk on Peshawar Road on Tuesday and demanded the arrest of the suspect, accusing the police of showing slackness in apprehending the culprit.

The family of the deceased woman were left surprised when they were informed that the suspect had already sought bail from the relevant court. The family members then gathered at Chur Chowk, raised slogans against the police and demanded registration of a murder case against the suspect and suspension of the station house officer of Westridge police station.

Ghulam Hussain, son of Razia Bibi, the deceased woman, told Dawn that his mother was hit and injured by a speeding mini truck on Thursday (September 19).

He claimed in the FIR that an unidentified driver intentionally tried to kill his mother, and also provided the registration number of the vehicle.

Mr Hussain further said that initially the police were tolerating the issue since his mother was struggling for her life in hospital and forcing them to go for a patch up. But, at that time, their only focus was the recovery of his mother. He said they decided to stage a protest when they were informed by the police that the suspect had sought bail from the court of law.

The protest was called off after Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Cantt Mirza Javaid assured the protesters that their demands would be met. Due to the protest, traffic on the road remained suspended.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2024