KASUR, Jan 10 (INP): At least two people were killed, several others injured and arrested as police takes action against the citizens holding protests against the murder of eight-year-old Zainab after rape on Wednesday. The Chief Justice (CJ) Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Mansoor Ali Shah taking the notice of the incident has directed the Punjab police and District and Session Judge for a report into the incident. The Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Provincial Chief Ministers, Federal, Provincial Ministers, MNAs, MPAs, heads, leaders of various political and religious parties including Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q), Awami Muslim League (AML), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) and others strongly condemning the inhumane act have demanded the authorities concerned to culprits to book. Seven-year-old Zainab, a resident of Rod Kot area of Kasur, was kidnapped on her way to tuition centre on January 05. Her body was found in a garbage pile near Kashmir Chowk after four days. Initial postmortem said, the minor was strangled to death after being raped, adding that the girl was raped multiple times. When the incident occurred the minor’s parents were in Saudi Arabia, where they had gone to perform Umrah. Kasur erupted in riots on Wednesday as residents agitated against perceived police inaction over the alleged rape and murder of an 8-year-old resident of the city. Two people were killed by gunshot wounds as enraged protesters armed with sticks and stones attempted to storm the deputy commissioner's office and were repelled by police. Two others were injured in the clashes, hospital sources said. Television footage showed a policeman firing into a crowd before being told to fire into the air, but it is not yet clear whether police are responsible for the deaths of the protesters. The brutal murder of the girl has incited anger among residents as it is the 12th such case to occur within a two kilometre radius in the city in the last year. Kasur had also made local and international headlines in 2015 when a gang of paedophiles running a child sex ring was busted in the city. The gang had allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted at least 280 children in the area, had blackmailed the families of the victims since 2009, and even sold video clips and images of the assault online. Soon after Zainab's parents returned from Umrah, the reporters surrounded them outside Islamabad's Benazir Bhutto International Airport and her mother said: "I have nothing to say, I just want justice for my daughter." Zainab's father claimed that police "did not cooperate" with them. "It is our friends that have stood by us. The culprits have even been identified but the police has not made any progress," he claimed. "We will not bury her until we get justice," he asserted. "We are now afraid of letting our children leave the home. How was our child kidnapped from a busy market?" he asked. The police said that DNA samples from the victim's body have been dispatched for forensic testing. Police have dubbed the murder a serial killing, but are not ruling out rape. Further information will be available once an autopsy report is issued. Regional Police Officer (RPO) Kasur Zulfikar Muhammad confirmed that the girl was strangled to death. He told the media that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has directed the forensic lab to expedite the process for Zainab's autopsy. "Naturally, there is also a certain amount of time that the processing will take; there is a certain amount of time that the lab takes," he said. It generally takes 24-48 hours for an autopsy to take place and a report to be issued. The recovery of Zainab's body on Tuesday ignited protests and a shutter-down strike in the city. As word got around, traders shuttered their shops and staged a protest demonstration. Scores of other people also gathered at Steel Bagh Mor near the hospital and protested with the girl's body in the middle of the road. They also threw traffic out of gear by burning tyres on Ferozepur Road and chanted slogans against police and local parliamentarians for their alleged apathy. The enraged citizens armed with sticks and stones stormed the deputy commissioner's office in protest over police inaction. At least two protesters were killed by firing in the ensuing clashes, and two others injured, hospital sources said. People from other parts of the county took to social media to share their anger and outrage over the murder, using the hashtag #JusticeForZainab. Chairman of PPP, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari termed the brutal rape and murder of a 7-year-old girl Zainab in Kasur as shocking and a slap on the face of Sharifdom, which continues to ignore such ghastly incidents. “Ten incidents of minors’ rape and murders had been reported in Kasur and eleven in Sheikhupura alone last year. It seems some parts of Punjab have been turned into hell for the children, especially the girls but Sharif brothers appear to have abandoned their duty as rulers,” Bilawal said in a statement. Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri led the funeral prayers of Zainab. Following the funeral rites, Tahirul Qadri said that Zainab’s murder is an insult to humanity. He held Punjab government responsible for the incident and said that the leaders have no right to stay in power as they have failed to provide protection to the people. Former PM Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz called for an exemplary punishment to the culprits. “I hope and pray the culprits are not only brought to justice but made an example of,” she tweeted. Jamaat-e-Islami head Siraj ul Haq submitted an adjournment motion in the National Assembly, condemning the rape and murder of seven-year-old Zainab. COAS condemns cold blooded murder of innocent Zainab. Responding to appeal by the aggrieved parents to COAS, directs immediate all out support to civil administration to arrest the criminals and bringing them to exemplary justice. INP/SB/AJ