Police firing kills woman at Gilgit hospital

GILGIT: A woman was shot dead late Wednesday night inside City Hospital Gilgit after police opened fire while chasing a suspect involved in a narcotics case.

The fatal shooting triggered widespread outrage prompting Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan on Thursday to suspend senior police officers and order the arrest of the suspects.

According to eyewitnesses the police pursuing a suspect wanted in a narcotics case, entered the City Hospital and fired multiple rounds in the presence of patients and medical staff. A CCTV footage of the incident shows police firing near the emergency ward, where a woman holding her newborn baby was shot. The incident that went viral on the social media, was widely condemned as a serious breach of hospital and police conduct.

Reacting to the public backlash, Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan suspended the SSP Gilgit and the local SHO. He termed the police action as “highly unprofessional and unacceptable.” The CM also announced setting up a Joint Investigation Team. A case under the Anti-Terrorism Act was also registered, and the suspected police officials were taken into custody.

The hospital administration also filed an official complaint and demanded the dismissal of the police officials. The medical staff have also warned of protests if decisive action is not taken.