SAHIWAL: The Yousafwala police and villagers of 64/5-L clashed late on Sunday when the police raided a ‘mehndi’ ceremony in the village.

Police said the ceremony was raided after reports of fireworks, aerial firing and a music show at the pre-wedding event of the marriage of Muhammad Naeem at a farmhouse.

In the raid, the police arrested six people -- singer Goshi, former union council chairman Nazir Ahmad and his nephews Abuzar, Ziaullah, Shahbaz and Nisar.

The raid and arrests enraged the participants who along with other villagers blocked the road. To get the road cleared, Yousafwala Station House Officer Zulfikar Virk along with officials Muhammad Ayub, Zia Ahmed, Ahmed Hasan and Ziaul Haq scuffled with the protesters and were beaten up. Ayub and Zia were shifted to the Sahiwal District Headquarters Teaching Hospital.

On Monday, the Yousafwala police booked 218 villagers in two first information reports (FIRs) and arrested six people, including a woman. In the FIR No 354/18, 98 people, including 12 women, were booked. Of them, 60 men and five women are unknown.

In both FIRs, nominated suspects are bridegroom Naeem, Nadeem, Shahzab, Saeed Ahmed, Muhammad Amin, Nazir Ali, Qasim Ali, Zeeshan, Anwar, Ijaz, Riaz, Ibad, Sarfaraz, Shahbaz, Sarwar Shahid, Sohail Irfan, Fakhar, Amir, Irfan, Imran Waqar, Javed, Ishtiaque, Qasim, Abuzar, Asad Saeed, Sajad Ali, Muhammad Imran, Azhar Iqbal, Muhammad Tariq, Kakoo Bibi, Basheeran Bibi, Shareefan Bibi, Nazir Bibi, Rani Bibi, Sumera and Sajida Bibi.

Ahmed Saeed Randhawa blamed police for the scuffle, saying the officials showed highhandedness and trespassed on the farmhouse, which had a boundary wall.

A spokesperson for the police said no permission was granted for the music function.

Jamaat-i-Islami district emir Rehmatullah Wattoo, Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal candidate for PP-197 Anwarul Haq and JI activist Dr Abdul Sattar condemned the police action.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2018