CHARSADDA/NOWSHERA: A man and his wife were killed and four others received injuries in a clash between a landowner and peasants in Shakoor area in Charsadda on Monday.

Sources said that the clash erupted after the landowner, Nadar Khan, with the help of police stormed the residence of a peasant, Mobin Khan, at 3am after court ordered forced evacuation of the house and land.

The news of forced eviction of the peasant spread like a jungle fire in the area and people made announcement through loudspeakers to take arms against it, they added.

Sources said that scores of armed peasants, residing in the nearby localities, rushed to the spot and besieged the residence of the landowner. The landowner and the peasants exchanged heavy fire for quite long time and used heavy weapons.

A large number of police backed by armoured personnel carriers reached the site of incident to rescue the landowner and his family members but they failed to enter the fighting zone.

Sources said that Hukam Khan and his wife Nazia, the neighbours of the landowner, were killed in the firing. They said that Faraz, Tasleem, Hamza, and a schoolteacher, whose identity could not be ascertained, were injured in the clash. The injured, belonging to the peasants group, were shifted to district headquarters hospital for treatment.

The administration with the help of a local jirga succeeded in brokering a ceasefire between the warring groups just before dusk. Sources said that the enraged peasants later demolished the residence of Nadar Khan.

Amir Zaman, a relative of Hukam Khan, lodged FIR against both the groups at Mandani police station. Police said that a large number of accused from both sides, nominated in the FIR, were arrested.

Assistant Commissioner Rafique Khan told Dawn that they were kept in dark regarding the forced eviction of the peasant. However, he said, situation was brought under control with the cooperation of local elders.

Charsadda deputy superintendent of police told Dawn that police acted on the directives of the court but the peasants showed stiffed resistance.

MPA Khalid Khan Mohmand condemned the police action, saying there was no need for forced eviction. He said the police entered the house of the peasant at 3am when women and children were asleep. The MPA said that inmates were humiliated and household items were damaged in the police action. He said that the casualties could be avoided if the situation was handled properly.

In Nowshera, two brothers were killed and two other persons suffered injuries in a firing incident over a land dispute in Pabbi locality on Monday. Police said that Fazl Subhan and Rasool Khan were killed while Yousaf Khan was injured in exchange of fire between them.

Yousaf told police that his uncles Rasool Khan and Raees Khan and cousin Yasar Khan came to their shop at Khan Market and opened firing on him and his father. He said that his father Fazl Subhan was killed on the spot while he himself, his uncle Rasool Khan and a passerby Sher Afzal got injuries in the incident.

However, Rasool Khan succumbed to his injuries in the hospital, police said. The cause of the clash was stated to be a land dispute.