ISLAMABAD: At least one person was seriously wounded in crossfire between two groups in a village in Banigala late on Friday evening, police said.

The incident took place over a dispute regarding the parking of a motorcycle in front of the Farooqia Mosque in Banigala. Asif Khan had gone to the mosque for his Zuhr prayers and parked his motorcycle in front of the building. Police said volunteers performing security duties prohibited him from doing so.

One of the volunteers, Raja Aqib, the secretary of the mosque committee, was among the people who asked Mr Khan to park elsewhere. Police said Mr Khan began arguing with them.

A scuffle broke out between the two parties, and the situation was defused with the interference of elders. However, when Mr Khan and 10 other people came to the mosque to perform their Asr prayers, the conflict erupted again.

Once more, elders intervened and informed Mr Khan and his companions that parking in and around the place of worship was prohibited during Ramazan, as directed by police and the local administration. Police said the group threatened the elders before leaving.

They said Mr Khan and a dozen others – armed with weapons, iron rods and batons – came to the mosque after iftar and began searching for Raja Aqib. They then went to his house, located near the mosque, and called him outside. Police said the men beat Mr Aqib and destroyed vehicles and homes around the mosque, and began firing indiscriminately.

In retaliation, villagers climbed onto the roofs of their houses and began firing, resulting in a gun battle.

Individuals were injured in the crossfire, including one man from the side of the attackers, police said. They said the attackers then left the area. Banigala police confirmed the incident, and said one of the injured people was shifted to a hospital. No further details were available at the time this report was filed.

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2016