Dacoits gun down ‘defiant’ teacher in Sindh’s katcha area

KASHMORE: A primary schoolteacher was shot dead by some bandits in the katcha areas (riverine belt) of Kandhkot-Kashmore, where dacoits reign despite several efforts to eliminate them.

The teacher, Allah Rakhiyo Nandwani, was attacked on his way back home from a cluster primary school in Nasrullah Khan Bijarani, which is known as a no-go area due to the presence of dacoits, on Monday (March 18).

The dacoits reportedly stopped him as he rode his motorcycle and fled after shooting him dead.

The gruesome incident comes days after a video of Nandwani going to the school went viral on the social media. The short video clip showed the schoolteacher carrying a rifle for his safety while navigating from his residence to the school and back.

“I go to the school [to teach] for the sake of students’ future. Police and education department have been telling me that I can’t go there (no-go area) but doing this would harm the future of children. I am protecting myself,” he said as he showed the gun he carried in the video.

Defying the bandit-rule, Nandwani vowed to attend his duties as a schoolteacher regularly to serve the students. In the video, the slain teacher’s own son was seen sitting behind him on the motorcycle, who apparently studies in the same school.

According to the local police, armed men opened fire at Nandwani near the Mandani check-post.

Sindh Home Minister Zia Lanjar took notice of the incident and sought a report from Larkana Deputy Inspector General of Police Nasir Aftab in two days. With the latest incident, it seems like police are unable to control the situation as the entire district Kashmore is reportedly under the bandits’ rule.

It may be noted that the dacoits of katcha areas in Kandhkot-Kashmore have kidnapped over 400 people in the past one year.

Despite big claims and over 250 operations by the Sindh Police, the katcha area dacoits apparently have been operating freely.

The police reportedly do not have modern weapons and equipment, except for armoured vehicles but these vehicles cannot go deep into the katcha areas due to wild bushes and sand.