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DADU: A jirga (tribal court) presided over by Janwari tribe’s chieftain Sardar Niaz Ahmed Janwari on Friday ordered the SHO of Mahar police station and his seven subordinates to pay a fine/compensation of Rs3.2 million for killing a woman.
The woman, Zarina Janwari, was wounded when the police party fired some shots to disperse angry villagers resisting their raid on her house in search of a suspected criminal in the village, about 12 kilometres from Mahar town, some 40 days ago.
She remained under treatment for 20 days but succumbed to her wounds at a Karachi hospital.
The bereaved family lodged a murder case against the police party and also approached their tribal chief to seek justice.
SHO Abdul Muneem Larik and the seven accused policemen told the jirga that they had to fire blank shots in defence as they were attacked by the mob that obstructed the police team from discharging their official duty. The policemen said that the woman accidentally received a bullet.
The woman’s husband, Urz Mohammad, and her brother, Rafique Janwari, insisted that the police party resorted to straight firing on her as she received a bullet in the head.
After hearing the aggrieved family, policemen and witnesses, Sardar Janwari gave his ruling. He ordered the police team to collectively pay a fine of Rs3.2m to the woman’s heirs in three instalments with as many months and in lieu the murder case against the police party would be withdrawn.
According to the police record, the police party was dispatched to the village after receiving intelligence about presence of a wanted criminal, Sanaullah Janwari, in one of the few houses.
However, during a search of the specified houses, a large number of people surrounded the police party, obstructed it from discharge of official duty and started manhandling the personnel. A few shots into the air were fired to scare away the mob but a woman accidentally sustained a bullet wound.