Six Rangers, civilian sent to jail

KARACHI (Agencies) - An anti-terrorism court on Friday sent six soldiers of Sindh Rangers and a civilian into indefinite judicial remand pending formal charges over the killing of an unarmed youth in a public park that shocked the nation. Earlier on Monday, these seven men were remanded in police custody by the administrative judge of an anti-terrorism court for their involvement in the June 8 shooting to death of the unarmed youth, Sarfaraz Shah. Widely televised footage showed Sarfaraz being shot at and then left to die by the paramilitary Rangers men in the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Park in the jurisdiction of the Boat Basin Police. The Rangers had earlier claimed that the youth was armed and killed in an encounter. However, the video footage clearly showed that the unarmed youth was shot dead by the Rangers personnel. at point-blank range as he first pleaded for mercy and later begged to be taken to hospital. In a rare move towards accountability, the government this week removed the heads of police and Sindh Rangers. Public prosecutor Arshad Iqbal Cheema told AFP that the accused were brought before an anti-terrorism court on Friday. Police investigators told the court that they have completed investigation and did not require custody of the accused on which the judge sent them to jail (for judicial remand), Cheema said. He said police had handed over their investigation report.

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