September 10, 2003	Wednesday	Rajab 12, 1424

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FAISALABAD, Sept 9: Special raiding teams of the local police on Tuesday rounded up over 100 villagers for damaging property and injuring two constables during a demonstration against high incidence of crime in some localities.

The police have also registered a case against union council Nazim Rana Muhammad Tahir and PML-N’s Shahbaz Kissana under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Earlier on Monday, hundreds of residents of Thikriwala and its adjoining areas blocked traffic on the Faisalabad-Jhang Road to protest the police’s failure to control crime. They pelted stones on the police, injuring two constables. Thikriwala police arrested 25 of the protesters after the clash.

On the directive of Saddar SP Raja Muhammad Osama, the special police teams on Tuesday raided chaks 71, 72, 81, 82, 253 and 275 JB in Thikriwala police station precinct, and some areas at Dijkot and Gojra from where they arrested over 100 people.

It is learnt that the police force ransacked several homes early in the morning, and manhandled men and women. They also cordoned off the areas to stop people from moving freely. Commandos were seen patrolling around these localities till last reports came in.

Later, a bevy of journalists visited chaks 81 and 82 JB at Jagatpur and Chak 83-JB at Gillan, and found that most of the people had either left their houses or arrested by the police. Some people alleged that the police had tortured the youth and the elderly people alike at village streets.

They said none of their relatives were being allowed to see the people detained at Thikriwala police station. The police, it is learnt, had also arrested all those who had visited the police stations for delivering meals to their relatives.

However, they reportedly freed a number of villagers after taking bribe from them. Some police personnel allegedly took away valuables from the houses during raids.

Local MPAs Rana Aftab Ahmad Khan and Jehanzeb Imtiaz Gill told this correspondent that the police raided the houses in violation of the rules, and treated the people like criminals.

They said the police’s clampdown had incited people and there might be some clashes on a larger scale.

They said the matter would be taken up at the Punjab Assembly, and urged the Punjab governor and the chief minister to order action against the police officials, who had tortured the villagers.

Woman shot dead: An aged woman was shot dead during a robbery in Sharifpura here on Monday night.

Robbers forced their entry into the house of Abdul Aziz, a Wapda employee, and collected thousands of rupees in cash, gold ornaments and other valuables. They shot at Sakina, the mother of Aziz, when she put up resistance, killing her on the spot.

The outlaws fled from the scene.