HARIPUR: HARIPUR: Fourteen persons including two policemen and a journalist were injured when two groups clashed over blocking of a thoroughfare in the urban limits of Haripur here on Sunday.

Locals said that police fired teargas shells and resorted to baton charge to control the situation. However the situation was brought under control after heavy deployment of police in the area.

District Police Officer Salman Zafar told Dawn that he and deputy commissioner were on monitoring visit to the mourning procession of 7th Muharam in Shah Mohammad village when some people pelted stones and chairs at the participants of the procession. The participants of the procession retaliated and the clash left 10 people including two policemen injured.

“To maintain law and order, police resorted to tear gas shelling and dispersed members of both the groups,” he said. He said that the tension of result of acrimony between two neighbours belonging to rival sects. They developed differences over passing of a funeral through the same main street of the village that was occupied by Muharram’s mourners last year, he added.

The DPO said that situation was normal after deployment of heavy contingent of police in the area and process was under way for registration of a case under anti-terrorism charges.

The medical superintendent of district headquarters hospital, Dr Mohsin Raza Turabi, when contacted, said that a total of 14 injured including a journalist and two policemen were brought to Trauma Centre. He said that one of them was serious in serious condition due to head injury.

Dr Mohsin said that most of the injuries were caused by pelting of stones. He said that medical treatment was being to the injured people at the health facility.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2024