Narsingh Kolhi, a Hindu rickshaw driver in the town of Matli, district Badin, Sindh province of Pakistan was brutally murdered. According to sources, Narsingh Kolhi went missing and the next day his tortured body was found.
Narsingh Kolhi’s father told that the identity card of the murder suspect and a torn shirt was found next to his son’s body. Surprisingly, despite all the evidence, the police did not arrest the suspect. This led to protests by Narsingh’s family and other Hindus.
The killing of Narsingh Koli shocked and angered many people in the region, especially poor Hindus. Human rights organization Pakistan Darawer Itehad held protests demanding that the perpetrators be arrested and punished soon. Finally, the FIR was registered and the investigation started.
Police were able to track down one suspect Imran Ali Shah and apprehend him. The stolen rickshaw has also been recovered, informed activist Faqir Shiva Kachhi.
But going by the systemic hostility faced by Hindus in Pakistan’s criminal justice system, it remains to be seen whether Shah receives any meaningful punishment, or will this become yet another ‘unsolved’ case involving a crime against a Pakistani Hindu.
This brutal murder once again shows Pakistan’s utter failure in providing basic human rights to its Hindu minority. Minorities are already subject to institutionalized discrimination and oppression, and such target killings and forced conversion exacerbate the situation.
It is important to note that this is 4th case of brutal murder of a minority person in Pakistan in recent times. A Sikh shopkeeper, a Hindu doctor and a Christian worker were also killed recently.
