MULTAN, Feb 21: On the direction of the Punjab governor, a high-level probe into the police-public clash in Bangalwala was started here on Thursday.

Additional Inspector General (AIG) Khalid Lateef visited Bangalwala to know about the version of villagers. He was accompanied by ASP Masoodul Hassan. Later, the AIG left for Lahore after listening to the police version in the local circuit house.

Meanwhile, district and sessions judge Muhammad Ashraf Bhatti has still not initiated the judicial inquiry.

On Thursday, district Nazim Shah Mehmood Qureshi also heard the versions of both police and the public in his office.

Four policemen had trespassed the house of Ishfaq in Banglawala near Qadirpur Roan on Monday. Taking them as dacoits, villagers held them hostage and gave them severe thrashing. Later, a heavy police contingent headed by CIA SP Javed Shah rushed to the spot to get released their colleagues. But villagers insisted that they would release them in the presence of elected representatives. Upon this, police ransacked the house and opened fire on villagers. They also tortured villagers, including women, and got released the officials. In the incident, 38 people, including 13 policemen, had sustained injuries.—Nouman