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KABUL: A protest over lack of water and electricity in Fayzabad city of Badakhshan province which turned violent on Tuesday has entered its second day with demonstrators calling on the government to sack the governor and bring him to justice.
The protest which went berserk after security guards opened fire on demonstrators is taking momentum by the day. Demonstrators gathered in front of the governor’s compound on Wednesday, demanded the governor be sacked and tried for killing the demonstrators.
On Tuesday, residents flocked into streets of Fayzabad to protest lack of drinking water, electricity and security, a peaceful march which turned violent after security guards of Badakhshan governor shot and killed 4 people and injured 44 others. Protesters say the death toll from the incident is rising.
Protesters staged a sit-in near the provincial office on Wednesday, and chanted slogans calling for the removal and trial of the governor of Badakhshan.
They closed the entrances to the new city and the old city of Fayzabad and said they would continue to protest until their demands were met.
They accuse bodyguards of the governor of Badakhshan of opening fire on demonstrators, demanding the perpetrators including the governor be brought to justice.
Meanwhile, Badakhshan police spokesman Sanaullah Rouhani said police had not been involved in any shooting.
Nik Mohammad Nazari, spokesman for the governor of Badakhshan, issued a statement urging the people to exercise restraint and patience, saying that a fact-finding mission would soon arrive from the center to investigate the violence in the presence of the families of the martyrs and wounded.
The statement said that demonstrations and civil protests are the right of every citizen.
The shooting had a profound effect on protesters, and many former and current members of parliament in Badakhshan denounced it by posting Facebook posters. The Independent Human Rights Commission (IHRC) has called for an investigation into the violence in Feyzabad, and the House of Representatives has called the shooting of protesters “unacceptable.”
