KASUR: Over 40 villagers were booked under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act by Kanganpur police for attacking a team of the Lahore Electric Supply Company, snatching official record, cash and other valuables on Friday.

The attackers were Lesco defaulters and the company had proceeded against them a few days back.

According to the FIR, the accused, 11 of them nominated, attacked Kanganpur SDO Hasan Raza when he, along with other Lesco staff, was on his way to Shamkot on official vehicles. It said the accused wielding clubs and some holding arms tried to intercept the lesco team. When the drivers did not stop, the attackers opened indiscriminate fire.

Later, the accused chased the official vehicles and intercepted them near Amanatke villager. There they manhandled the lesco staff officials, including the SDO, snatched official record, including a laptop, cash worth Rs70,000 and mobile phones. The attackers also injured the officials.

Company has severed power supply to defaulters

The FIR also said since the attackers were Lesco defaulters, the company had disconnected their power supply and removed a transformer. According to a source, some of the attackers were backed by Kisan Ittehad and had a row with the Lesco over inflated bills.

The situation remained tense even at a Kanganpur hospital where the farmers and Lesco staff were face to face. However, the intervention of local police defused the tension. Annoyed over the villagers’ act, representatives of the hydro union besieged the police station but dispersed when police registered a case. Lesco high-ups also reached Kanganpur.

Police registered the case under 7 ATA’s sections 324, 354, 382, 427, 337, (F-2 and L-2), 148 and 149 of Pakistan Penal Code.

No arrest was made till the filing of this report at 8pm.

ELECTROCUTED: Two persons, including an eight-year-old girl, were electrocuted as a high tension wire fell on them on Friday in Basti Bhattian near Mega village, in the limits of Sarai Mughal police station.

Nimra, 8, was playing in the fields when 11KV wire fell on her. Ghulam Haider, 16, rushed to save her but was electrocuted too.

Police sent the bodies to the Pattoki THQ Hospital.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2016