BAHAWALPUR, July 29: Relatives (of the deceased) and ‘eyewitnesses’ have described Sunday’s Hasilpur Road shootout that left six ‘outlaws’ dead as managed.

Some residents of Mauza Shah Muhammad, the scene of the encounter, rejected the police version. They said before the ‘encounter’ the area was cordoned off to carry out the desired task.

Muhammad Arif Watoo, EDO literacy wing, who is father of deceased Talha alias Nadeem, also disputed the police claim. Mourning the death of his son while sitting along with his sympathizers under a Shamiana in the courtyard of his house here, Wattoo said though the encounter was managed, he could not contest it in any court of law.

Wattoo said Talha, an intermediate student, had disappeared about four months ago. The family read reports of his arrest from Vehari last week.

Wattoo said former SSP leader Rao Javed Iqbal had misguided his son.

As the issue remained the talk of the town on Monday, people questioned how two of the assailants managed their escape on foot in the presence of a heavy police contingent.

Meanwhile, their accomplices who died in the shooting a day before could not be identified. The Suzuki Khyber allegedly used by the assailants bore a fake number plate of JU-4001. Owned by Rana Muhammad Babar, former vice-chairman, Khairpur Tamewali, the car was snatched by highwaymen three days ago.

Nine policemen who reportedly sustained injuries in the encounter were hospitalized in Khairpur Tamewali (not Hasilpur as reported earlier).

Among them are CIA inspector Khawar Zaman with bullet injury on his right thai, Rao Jamshed in his right knee, Arshad Wariach in right ankle and SI Mujahid Abbas in his right shoulder. When some newsmen met them, they repeated Sunday’s story.

Bereaved families have, meanwhile, not been officially informed by police to collect the bodies of their wards. A police official said that their heirs should be coming on their own.

Bahawalpur SSP Sikandar Hayat told Dawn that there was no reason to doubt the encounter. He said the injured policemen would be shifted to the BV Hospital.

The post-mortem examination of the six bodies lying in the BVH since last night could not be conducted due to a row between the police and doctors of the Bahawal Victoria Hospital. The doctors demanded that all the relevant documents should be prepared before the autopsy. Later, a medical board was constituted to conduct the post-mortem examination. The board, it is learnt, will also examine the wounds of the injured police officials.

Deceased Ahsan Muavia belonged to Haroonabad (Bahawalnagar district), Manzoor Hussain alias Mumtaz hailed from Mitroo Road, Mailsi (Vehari district), while the third, Muhammad Kashif alias Kashi, belonged to Gujranwala.

An FIR has been registered on behalf of Cantonment SI Riaz Cheema. No judicial inquiry into the case has been ordered.