At least two Baloch Sukhtbars and two citizens were injured by gunfire following a chase and raid by IRGC forces.
According to Kolbarnews, on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, during a chase involving several Sukhtbari vehicles, IRGC forces raided the villages of Ganjak and Kalendani in Zarabad County. At least two Sukhtbars and two residents of Ganjak village were shot and injured, and several Sukhtbars were arrested.
The exact identities and number of the injured and arrested individuals are unknown at this time.
Local sources report that during the pursuit of several Sukhtbari vehicles by IRGC and police forces, the vehicles entered Kalendani village in Zarabad County. IRGC and police forces then raided Kalendani and the nearby village of Ganjak, arresting and beating the Sukhtbars and seizing their vehicles.
In Ganjak, when villagers protested, the forces fired directly at the citizens, injuring at least two villagers and two Sukhtbars.
The condition of two of the injured is critical. Two of the injured were also arrested by the military forces and taken to an unknown location.
The military forces accompanying the IRGC were police forces from Lirdaf, a district of Jask County, coordinated by the IRGC in the region to carry out the raid on these two villages.
Sukhtbari is considered an unconventional and hazardous job that many Baluch people in Baluchistan are forced into due to the lack of suitable and stable employment. Accidents, vehicle rollovers, and direct shootings by military and security forces are some of the dangers that Sukhtbars face.
According to reports from Baluch activists, in the first six months of 2024, at least 133 Baluch Sukhtbars have died from shootings by military forces, traffic accidents, and vehicle fires, with another 80 injured in these incidents, including nine children.
