ISLAMABAD: As many as six policemen and over a dozen villagers were injured in a clash that erupted during an anti-encroachment operation at Banigala here on Friday, according to sources.

Officials told Dawn that teams of the Capital Development Authority and capital administration along with a well-equipped contingent of police conducted the operation. They said that the police were called to maintain law and order situation as resistance from the villagers was expected.

During the operation, the anti-encroachment teams also pulled down a marquee, which was allegedly built on encroached land.

The incident occurred after official teams started removing encroachments

The officials said that when the teams started demolishing encroachments the villagers started to assemble and announcements were made from the area’s mosques for this purpose.

They claimed that earlier a marquee owner motivated the villagers who assembled on the road leading to Lakhawal village and intercepted the anti-encroachment teams and police contingent when they were moving to the village.

They said that the villagers also burnt tyres on the roads and pelted stones at the teams.

The sources said that an officer of the capital administration present on the site warned the villagers to disperse, but they ignored the warning. They said that later the anti-riot unit of the police was asked to disperse the villagers.

They said that the police contingent also restored to baton charge which led to a clash with the villagers in which about six policemen and over a dozen villagers suffered injuries.

The sources said that the police also picked up scores of villagers and shifted them in vehicles to a police station for further legal action. They said that after clearing the road the officials reached the village and started demolishing encroachments, including marquees.

Meanwhile, the CDA’s building control directorate conducted an operation to remove illegal construction being erected by the Islamabad Hotel at G-6. According to an officer of CDA, the hotel management has been setting up a shed to cover open space for parking purpose.

“We removed the sheds built outside the hotel,” the officer said.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2019