VEHARI: At least 26 people were injured in a clash between Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) employees and the Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (PKI) protesters in Burewala, 35km from here, on Monday.

According to local sources, PKI activists gathered in front of the Mepco offices in Burewala town to lodge protest against `inflated’ bills of their tubewells.

During the demo, some Mepco employees allegedly pelted the protesters with stones. Soon after, dozens of PKI activists forced their entry into the Mepco offices and damaged 15 motorbikes and six official vehicles parked there.

The Mepco employees also retaliated by throwing stones on the intruders who destroyed office furniture and some official record.

According to PKI’s Burewala President Zulfiqar Awan, at least 20 farmers were injured during the clash.

He said all the injured were admitted to the Burewala Tehsil Headquarters Hospital. They included Muhammad Boota, Rashid, Nadeem Abbas, Allah Yar, Bashir, Mushtaq, Rizwan, Altaf Husain, Abdul Ghafar, Afzal, Kashif, Riaz, Asgher, Mahboob, Yasin and Nazir.

On the other hand, Shahid Bari, Zonal Chairman of Mepco Hydro Union, claimed at least six employees of the distribution company, including Shahid Pervez, Muhammad Daas, Muneer Ahmed, Liaqat Ali, Arshad and Laal Khan were injured during the clash with the PKI activists and were admitted to the THQ Hospital. During the clash, he said, the Model Town police (Burewala) played silent spectators and did not interfere to stop those who were damaging government property.

Zulfiqar Awan said the clash erupted after some Mepco employees misbehaved with the protesting farmers whom they had sent `average’ bills of tubewells instead of basing them on the reading of their power meters.

He said the PKI had raised the issue with the Mepco officials concerned but nothing was done to resolve it. He demanded strict action against the `corrupt’ Mepco employees, saying the PKI would continue protest till the acceptance of their demands.

Later, PKI activists blocked the Burewala-Mian Channu road for traffic which could not be opened till the filing of this report at 8pm.

Model Town police Sub-Inspector Nawaz Warraich said there were no instructions from the district police officer for registering any FIR.

DPO Ahmed Nasir Aziz was not available for his comments on the situation.

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2018