ISLAMABAD: The station house officer (SHO) of Karachi Company was on Monday detained by the residents of G-9/2 when he along with a police team reached there after a clash between two groups of youngsters.

The police said the residents also occupied a police vehicle.

The groups of youngsters, one each from G-9 and G-10, ran into a scuffle at G-9/2 over a minor issue on Friday night. The visitors left the area at that time but returned with more friends, including two sons of a deputy superintendent of police. Both the groups then clashed during which weapons were also used. One of the men from G-10, identified as Mohammad Hameed Rasheed, sustained a bullet injury.

Hearing the gunshots, the residents gathered at the spot and overpowered two members of the group from G-10 and detained them in a room.

When SHO Karachi Company Inspector Mubarak Ali along with his staff and a patrolling vehicle reached the spot and asked the residents to hand over the two men for legal action, they refused. On the insistence of the police, the residents also detained the SHO and snatched the keys of the patrolling vehicle.

The other policemen ran away from the area and reported the incident to the senior officers, who sent another police contingent to rescue the SHO and the two captives.

The incident occurred after a clash between two groups of youngsters in G-9/2

The police contingent cordoned off the area and asked the residents to release the SHO and the other captives but the residents refused.

Negotiations held with the residents also failed, forcing the police to arrest some of the people.

The police succeeded in getting the SHO released after over an hour along with the two captives. The arrested people were shifted to the police station.

The police said a large number of newly-elected members of the local government from the area reached the police station and demanded the release of the residents. After holding talks with the members-elect, the police released a majority of the arrested men except seven persons.

Two separate cases were registered, one over the resistance by the residents to the police and the second over the clash between the two groups.

When contacted, the SHO said Hammed was injured from a bullet fired by his friends. The injured was in a stable condition and police arrested two persons for their involvement in opening the fire.

Vice-chairman UC-32 Malik Iklaq Ahmed Awan told Dawn that the residents wanted to hand over the attackers to Rangers not to the police. He said the police arrested a number of residents, including two elected members of the local government, and shifted them to the police station.

“I along with four UC chairmen went to the police station for the release of the innocent people,” he said, adding: “We told the police to take legal action against those who were guilty and release the others but they refused.”

He said they were not allowed to enter the police station but the innocent residents were released after four hours.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2015