In an unfortunate incident, a young girl lost her life, and seven others, including a teacher and female students, were injured when a police officer deployed outside a school in Swat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, opened fire on them, the police reported on Tuesday.
District Police Officer (DPO) Shafiullah Gandapur stated that the constable involved in the incident, identified as Alam Khan, was promptly apprehended, and a First Information Report (FIR) was lodged against him.
“A special investigation team has been formed to make further investigation into the matter. I assure everyone that strict legal punishment will be given to the culprit,” he told media persons.
According to Gandapur, the accused individual, originally from the Salampur area, had been suspended from the police force on two occasions. However, Khan was reinstated in the police department last year and had been assigned to provide security outside the school for the past three months.
The wounded individuals were swiftly transferred to Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital, where an emergency situation was declared to address their medical needs.
In the meantime, one of the injured girls, currently undergoing treatment at the hospital, stated that the suspect indiscriminately opened fire on their van immediately after it exited the school gate. She further explained that the incident caused panic among the schoolchildren, who began screaming, leading to the gathering of people at the scene.
After news of the horrifying incident surfaced, Inspector General of Police for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Akhtar Hayat Gandapur, took cognizance of the shooting. Accompanied by Malakand Regional Police Officer Nasir Mehmood Dasti, DPO Gandapur, and Swat Deputy Commissioner Ifranullah Wazir, he visited the injured children at the hospital.
A statement issued by the Swat police mentioned that the RPO Malakand instructed the hospital authorities to ensure that the injured girls receive the best possible medical treatment.
