A 13-year-old boy named Subhan has died after a vehicle racing with another one struck his motorcycle in the Askari X area of Lahore. Subhan, along with his friend Abubakar and a third companion, was waiting outside his residence on a motorcycle when two speeding cars raced down the road.
One of the vehicles collided with the motorcycle. The impact threw Subhan from the bike, causing him to hit his head against the footpath, killing him on the spot. Another boy involved in the collision is in a coma.
According to reports, the driver of the vehicle, identified as Rana Hamza, fled the scene immediately after the crash.
Neighbours have stated that Hamza has a prior history of rash driving within the Askari X locality, though no action had been taken against him previously. Reports indicate that the families of the suspects have since left the area.
Residents of Askari X staged a late-night protest to demand justice for the victim. According to reports, protesters claimed that the initial FIR [First Information Report] registered by the police contains inaccuracies.
The protesters alleged that the FIR falsely attributes the driving to unidentified females to shield Hamza. Protesters stated they have shared evidence across various social media platforms confirming that Hamza was behind the wheel.
During the demonstration on Thursday night, a protester addressed the crowd regarding the deadline given to the suspect’s family, “Until 12:00 PM tomorrow afternoon, we want those two accused if not both, then the main culprit who is Rana Hamza. His family must present him before us, or that boy must present himself, or rather, the entire family should come. Secondly, after that, our second protest will be directed at the Khokhar family, whose child was the second racer.”
Police have started an investigation, conducted a raid conducted at Hamza’s residence in Askari X. Officials stated that relatives of the accused provided assurances that Hamza would be presented at the police station by midday. Authorities maintained that if the suspect is not handed over, law enforcement will track his location to arrest him.
Videos from the protest site show residents confronting law enforcement officials about the timeline for the arrest.
A woman in the crowd questioned an official, “How are you going to catch him by 12:00 PM? You tell us!” She later added, “Otherwise, I will arrive straight at your police station tomorrow. Keep that in mind.”
In response to the crowd’s demands for updates, a police official told the demonstrators, “Insha’Allah, I will give you the good news even before that. May God bless us, I will give it to you before then.”
No further updates have been reported.
