Youngster battles for life as Punjab police 'mistakenly' opens fire on him

SIALKOT: In what appeared to be a case of mistaken identity, Punjab police on Monday opened fire on a motorcyclist, seriously wounding him, ARY NEWS reported.

The incident occurred within the remits of Muradpur police station in Sialkot.

Brother of the victim claimed that the bullet hit the abdomen of the 17-year-old Shahzeb after he was fired upon by a police team while returning home on a motorcycle along with his friends.

“The policemen asked them to stop the vehicle on a dark road,” he said adding that the youngster while considering them as snatchers tried to run away.

The police in the meantime, opened fire on the vehicle, severely wounding him. “His other friends ran away out of fear to save themselves,” he said adding that his brother was shifted to the Meo Hospital in Lahore and is currently on a ventilator.

He demanded of the authorities to take stern action against the police personnel who opened fire on the motorcyclist.

Meanwhile, the Regional Police Officer (RPO) while confirming the incident said that action would be taken against those responsible for the incident.

“We are investigating the matter from all angles,” he said.

Incidents of police firing claiming the lives of citizens have occurred frequently in the country amid calls for providing proper training to the personnel.

In one such incident on April 15, a woman allegedly died in the firing of a policeman in Karachi’s area of Old Sabzi Mandi.

According to the residents of the area, people gathered in large numbers to get ration that forced policemen to open aerial firing to disperse the public.

As a result, a woman in the nearby house was hit by the stray bullet and lost her life on the spot. The residents alleged that policeman who opened fire was drunk.