A protest was held outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC) by the Jeay Sindh Tehreek (JST) on Friday over the killing by their Karachi president who was allegedly shot in cold blood by Bhains Colony union council chairman Rahim Shah earlier this week.
According to media reports, Irshad Ranjhani was allegedly shot twice by Rahim. He was still alive when he was taken to Shah Latif police station, where he was allegedly shot eight more times by police officials.
Protesters outside KPC said Ranjhani had been the Karachi president of JST. According to them, Ranjhani had been in touch with his family till Tuesday, after which his mobile phone was switched off.
Ranjhani’s family claims that Irshad, who is said to have been in his 30s, lived in Dubai and had only recently come to Pakistan to visit them. The family claims that the victim had been in Dadu till Sunday, after which he had returned to his home in Korangi, Karachi.
Offering a different perspective on the incident, District Inspector General East Amir Farooqi said that “preliminary findings indicate that Rahim had withdrawn cash from the bank, soon after which two men riding a motorbike intercepted him near Bhains Colony Mor on main National Highway.”
“The two men showed the nazim a pistol and asked for the cash. The UC Nazim says he fired on the guy from inside the car in self-defence,” DIG Farooqi said.
“The person with Ranjhani ran away riding the motorbike,” he said, adding that “there are witnesses to the whole incident as it happened in a public space and in broad daylight.”
DIG Farooq added: “We are checking if the deceased had a criminal record or not.”
Members of the civil society have taken to social media, using the hashtag #JusticeForIrshadRanjhani and posting videos showing the UC chairman shooting Ranjhani in front of a crowd.
The protesters have demanded the authorities to register a first investigation report against Rahim, the Shah Latif station house officer and the Bin Qasim Town deputy superintendent of police.
