Quetta: The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has claimed that Quetta police and administration have arrested their leader, Dr. Mahrang Baloch, along with several of her colleagues early this morning.
Dr. Baloch and her associates were staging a sit-in on Sariab Road in front of the University of Balochistan, reportedly alongside the bodies of three individuals killed in protests the previous day. The committee has also alleged that the police have taken the bodies along with the arrested protesters.
So far, the Balochistan provincial government and police have not issued any statements regarding the incident. However, the provincial government’s spokesperson, Shahid Rind, had previously stated that the police had taken legal action against the protesters.
Earlier on Friday, Dr. Mahrang Baloch had released a video message, announcing a province-wide protest on Saturday. She had called for a shutdown of businesses and transport across Balochistan. According to her, police had opened fire on peaceful demonstrators on Sariab Road in Quetta on Friday, killing three people and injuring dozens.
The BYC members, carrying the bodies of the deceased, continued their protest throughout the night. The committee, in a statement on its official X account, said that their central leaders, including Bebagr Baloch, Dr. Hammal, Dr. Ilyas, and Saeed Baloch, along with several women, were detained. The statement accused security forces of attacking their peaceful protest early in the morning, taking away the bodies and arresting Dr. Mahrang Baloch and her associates.
Provincial government spokesperson Shahid Rind had previously stated that police had acted within the law, adding that it was unclear whose bodies the protesters were displaying on the road. He also claimed that the roadblock had caused difficulties for passengers traveling from Karachi and other cities, forcing the police to take action.
Rind further stated that until the bodies were sent for medical examination, it would not be possible to determine the exact cause of death. He also accused the protesters of initiating violence by throwing stones at the police, injuring a female officer and several other personnel.
The situation in Quetta remains tense, with mobile and internet services suspended, causing difficulties for residents.
Meanwhile, around 300 protesters continued their sit-in on Sariab Road, according to local police officials. They confirmed that three bodies were present at the protest site and admitted that police had used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators but denied knowledge of live gunfire.
The protests in Quetta had initially started on Thursday in response to the arrests of BYC leaders. Protesters have also alleged that security forces in Balochistan are burying unidentified bodies without notifying families.
Additionally, families of detained Baloch individuals, mostly women, also launched a protest on Quetta’s Qambrani Road.
Dr. Mahrang Baloch, in an earlier statement claimed that police used tear gas and opened fire on protesters at 2 AM, killing three people and injuring 13 others. She added that the injured were taken to Quetta’s Civil Hospital, but efforts to contact hospital officials were unsuccessful.
The Balochistan government continues to maintain that the protests are an attempt to create disorder, warning that the administration will not tolerate lawlessness.
