According to the Balochistan Human Rights Group on Tuesday, July 24, 2024, a Baloch woman who was severely injured during an unregulated shooting by plainclothes forces affiliated with Iran’s anti-narcotics agency in Iranshahr has succumbed to her injuries after six days.
The incident occurred on the evening of June 18, 2024, when forces opened fire on a Peugeot Pars during a chase near the Shahrak-e Artesh roundabout in Iranshahr. The woman, identified as Hassanieh Kalkali, 41, daughter of Shahdust, an employee of the Education Department and a teacher from Iranshahr, sustained critical injuries.
Sources indicate that the incident took place around 10 PM on June 18, leaving the woman with severe injuries—her kidney was removed, her lung was damaged, and she underwent multiple surgeries before being admitted to the ICU at Khatam al-Anbiya Hospital in Iranshahr.
Earlier reports stated that security forces, using a private Peugeot 405 and without any official warning or adherence to safety protocols, fired directly in a public area. After shooting at the pursued vehicle, they fled the scene without stopping. Witnesses reported that the forces briefly visited the hospital about an hour after the incident but left without providing any explanation or taking responsibility for the injured woman’s condition.
Following the incident, the victim’s family filed a complaint against the involved military personnel at the Iranshahr Prosecutor’s Office. The accused forces claimed, “We did not shoot; the occupants of the pursued vehicle fired the shots.”However, evidence suggests that the targeted vehicle was moving ahead, making it impossible for its occupants to have fired at civilians.
This incident once again highlights the lawlessness and recklessness of security and plainclothes forces in Balochistan, where the indiscriminate use of firearms endangers innocent lives, and responsible authorities evade accountability.
