Numerous complaints had been filed before child was run over by armored vehicle

* Photo: Gazete Karınca

Click to read the article in Turkish

After seven-year-old Mihraç Miroğlu lost his life after being run over by an armored police vehicle in İdil in Turkey's Kurdish-majority southeastern province of Şırnak on September 3, the residents of the neighborhood where the incident happened turned out to have applied to the sub-governor's office several times and complained that the vehicles were going at full speed.

As reported by Mezopotamya Agency (MA), the residents have said that every time they made a complaint, they were disregarded.

The people of the neighborhood have indicated that they went to the İdil Sub-Governor's Office several times and complained that armored vehicles were going very fast inside the neighborhood; however, their complaints were not taken into consideration. They have also said that such an incident happened because their complaints were not taken into account.

Speaking to the MA about the issue, Ayşe Şen has said:

"We told the authorities that the police officers driving the armored vehicles were driving very fast. When we said this, we talked about our children, too. When armored vehicles pass, children do not know how to protect themselves. But, unfortunately, our words and complaints were always disregarded. Before this accident happened, all residents of the neighborhood had expressed their complaints about this issue. But we could not get any results. Our children go to school and go out on the street. We do not want armored vehicles to be driven in our neighborhood."

Esmer Çağın has also said that no one in the neighborhood is safe due to armored vehicles, adding that they will launch a petition demanding that armored vehicles will not pass along their neighborhood, if need be.

What happened?

An armored vehicle hit Mihraç Miroğlu (7) in Turgut Özal Neighborhood in Şırnak's İdil on September 3, 2021. According to the witness statements, the vehicle hit the child while he was riding a bicycle.

As reported by Mezopotamya Agency (MA), the investigation launched by the İdil Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into the incident has been launched on the grounds of "deadly road accident." The police officer was reportedly not detained even though the child has lost his life.

The statement of the suspect police officer was taken three days after the incident today (September 6). Brought to the courthouse in company with police, the police officer has been released after giving his statement. The police officer reportedly said in his statement at the prosecutor's office, "I didn't do it intentionally. I didn't want it to end like this." (AÖ/SD)