27 October 2004	Wednesday	12 Ramazan 1425

LAHORE, Oct 26: Several shops and vehicles were damaged by villagers in Defence Housing Society on Tuesday when they turned violent during the funeral of a man who succumbed to injuries he sustained in a clash with DHA guards.

Munir Ali was among the 22 people injured on Friday when Defence Housing Authority (DHA) personnel allegedly opened fire after a clash with residents of Charar village over the issue of raising a wall around a graveyard.

The villagers stated to be 2,000 in number turned violent on their way to bury the deceased. They stormed different blocks of the housing society and damaged cars parked in the open. They also pelted stones on some houses besides ransacking a number of shops, including a bakery.

"Yes, some vehicles were damaged by the villagers. A bakery was also ransacked," Cantonment SP Waseem Khan told Dawn. He added that some of the miscreants had been detained and hunt for others was on. He said those who caused the damage and instigated the villagers had been identified. The SP also sustained injury on his hand while trying to calm down the protesters.

Earlier, the villagers placed the body on the Defence Road and burnt tyres which resulted in traffic suspension of several hours.

Waseem Khan held talks with the protest leaders and on his assurance they cleared the road.

The villagers claim that the DHA wanted to block all entries to Charar while the DHA says it just wants to repair a wall close to Phase III in Block Z.

It triggered a clash between the DHA personnel and over 2,500 villagers who had gathered on the scene on Friday last. The DHA claimed that it retaliated when the villagers started pelting its staff with stones and bricks.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the DHA said the deceased had sustained a bullet wound from the firing of his own people, who had created a law and order situation on Friday.

A case has already been registered in this regard in which around 80 people, including the DHA personnel, have been booked by the police.