A demonstration against water scarcity in Gwadar was baton-charged by the police on Monday, the sources said. The protestors had gathered in large numbers and blocked the Makran Coastal Highway in protest, suspending traffic for several hours.
The police forces baton-charged the demonstration to disperse the protestors and restart the flow of traffic on the coastal highway. The officials, however, are denying the occurrence of this episode.
According to reports, residents in Gwadar’s Darbela neighbourhood took to the roads on Monday to protest against the water shortage in their area. Scores of people, including women and children blocked the Makran Coastal Highway near the Sarbandan area in protest. The two-way traffic was suspended for several hours and hundreds of vehicles were lined on the highway.
The police reportedly arrived at the scene and baton-charged the protestors, including the women, in an attempt to reopen the highway. Gwadar Police SHO Talal Gichki has denied the accusation and said that rumours of police brutality are ‘misinformation.’
He said that the right to protest is enshrined in the constitution, but no one will be allowed to block highways and disrupt the daily lives of the common folk.
While, according to the protesting women, they were beaton-charged by police and forced to open the highway.