Violence erupts at closure of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s shrine

SEHWAN: The Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, took control of the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in the aftermath of serious clashes between the police and devotees over the closure of the shrine on Thursday, by the provincial government as part of the Covid-19 SOPs. The violent clashes left scores injured and several motorcycles burnt.

A large number of devotees visited the shrine of Sufi saint Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. The zeal mounts fervently as the annual Urs is held from 18-20 Shaban. The devotees, who arrived from Punjab to attend the Urs, turned violent after they were prevented from entering the shrine for the 769th annual Urs celebrations due to Covid-19 restrictions. The Sindh government had announced closure of all shrines, public places, eateries, in the province for 10 days. It also cancelled the annual Urs of Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.

The people were kept away from the premises of the shrine but all hell broke lose when reportedly some of the devotees were allowed inside the shrine to pay homage to the great saint. This triggered a clash with the police trying to stop them from heading towards the shrine’s main entrance.

During the scuffle, the mob broke down barriers and set on fire several vehicles, including motorcycles. This followed a free for all and soon a large group tore open the main door of the shrine to make their way inside.

Couple of policemen alongside scores of people were also injured in the clash at the shrine. In the aftermath of the continuing violence, the paramilitary Rangers took over the control of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s shrine.