LAHORE: A Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) worker was killed while two people were injured, including a constable, when a land grabber fired on them in Baghbanpura on Monday morning.

Lesco tubewell operator Muhammad Mansha died on the spot while gardener Mian Fayyaz and head constable Shafiq received bullet wounds. The injured were shifted to Mayo Hospital where they were said to be stable.

Police said Asif alias Achhi Malang attacked Mansha for asking him to vacate the Lesco premises where he had built a ‘shrine’ and a residence for a decade. They said the incident took place at 8am when Lesco workers approached land grabber Asif to get the premises vacated. Asif got enraged and opened fire at them and fled from the scene.

A large number of policemen reached the spot and after chasing for two hours arrested the land grabber who was injured the process.

A senior police official on condition of anonymity told Dawn that Asif was a proclaimed offender and had been involved in three murder cases, including that of a former nazim. He said a local court had granted him bail and dropped the murder charges after the suspect managed to prove that he was suffering from a mental disorder.

A large number of protesters, including Lesco workers, staged a protest demonstration against the killing and land grabbing. They attacked the residence Asif had constructed on the Lesco premises, ransacked furniture and burned the flag of the ‘shrine’. They locked company offices in the area in protest after the incident.

Some protesters told the media that the authorities had not made any effort to get the premises vacated from the land grabber. They claimed Asif had been using the premises as his residence for 15 years.

A senior Lesco official, on condition of anonymity, told Dawn the company authorities had not noticed the land grabber and the issue was not reported to any police station.

He said Asif had built a ‘shrine’ on the premises by digging fake graves. He also claimed Asif was involved in the killing of a former nazim and selling drugs in the area.

Cantonment Division Superintendent of Police Muhammad Nadeem Khokhar was not available for comment despite repeated calls.

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2015

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