KARACHI - The provincial government on Saturday approached the Sindh High Court (SHC) to conduct a judicial inquiry into the death of Irshad Ranjhani, who was killed by Bhains Colony Union Council Chairman Raheem Shah during an alleged robbery bid.

Shah belongs to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

The letter written by the home secretary on the directives of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah asked the registrar of the high court to direct the district and sessions judge in the Malir District to conduct a judicial enquiry into the matter and submit a report within 30 days.

It further asked the court to probe the circumstances surrounding the incident and also if any medical assistance to the injured was delayed. The injured succumbed to his injuries later.

Earlier on Saturday, the chief minister took notice of the incident in which a union council chairman Raheem Shah opened fire on an alleged robber-Irshad Ranjhani- who intercepted him near Bhains Colony area along with his three more accomplices- near his residence to loot money that he had withdrawn from a bank on Shahrah-e-Faisal. The UC chairman also did not let people gather on the spot to take the victim to the hospital.

The Jeay Sindh Tehreek (JST) has claimed that deceased Ranjhani was head of its Karachi chapter and party activists had staged a protest against his killing.

The chief minister directed Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah to write a letter to the registrar of the Sindh High Court with the request to conduct judicial inquiry into the murder of Ranjhani. “We can’t allow any body to take law into his hand,” he said.

Earlier, the chief minister directed Sindh Police Inspector General Dr Kaleem Imam to conduct an inquiry through a senior police officer into the murder case.

He said that the government had restored peace in the city with its political will in which police, Rangers and the Pakistan Army had rendered a lot of sacrifices. “Now the government cannot allow anybody to establish a state within the state, pull out a gun and kill anyone portraying him as a robber,” he said, referring to Irshad murder case.

“I am sorry I cannot allow such incidents taking place in the city, which is becoming a centre of peace, a hub of international sports, a seat of learning and where business activities are thriving with every passing day,” he said. “This city belongs to each and every person living here peacefully but there is no space for criminals, dacoits, killers and outlaws in Karachi,” he said categorically.

Shah ordered the provincial police chief to intensify the targeted operation against outlaws and criminals in the city. He directed the police chief to constitute a highly professional inquiry team of policemen led by a senior police officer to probe into the murder case from different angles and aspects.

Meanwhile, a detailed report on the police record of the killer and the victim, where the police were when the crime was committed, post-mortem report, who registered the FIR (police or relatives of the victim) and which sections have been invoked and whether the killer and his accomplices have been arrested or not and what is the progress of the case so far be sent to him.

“I want you to keep posting day-to-day progress of the case to me,” CM urged the IG Police.

Meanwhile, police investigations have revealed that the victim was also booked and arrested under separate cases of street crime in the city including a snatching case in Police Station Nazimabad in 2003, Police Station Defence in 2008 for a stolen vehicle and unlicensed pistol and in Bahadurabad police station again in 2013 with an unlicensed weapon.

The police have also seconded the claims of the union councillor that the alleged robber who was killed in the firing incident was involved in a bid to loot the union councillor when he was driving with his son.