KURRAM: The administration imposed a curfew in Sadda town here on Thursday night after its offices and a police station were ransacked by a mob and firing by law-enforcement personnel killed two people and injured 12.

According to officials and witnesses, a shopkeeper had heated exchanges with one of his customers over a payment issue before the former accused the latter of making sacrilegious utterances, which triggered tensions in the town.

The customer took shelter in the shop of the trader association’s president. A mob surrounded the shop and sought the customer’s custody but the owner refused.

The police took the customer away prompting protesters to attack the police station.

The administration called out paramilitary forces to disperse the mob, which allegedly broke into the police station and tehsil offices and torched cars and motorcycles parked there.

The law-enforcement personnel fired gunshots killing two people and injuring 12.

The deceased were identified as Javed and Najeeb.

Official Dr Rahim Gul told reporters that the injured were shifted to the tehsil headquarters hospital in Sadda town, where the doctors declared two dead.

He said eight people with minor injuries were discharged, while those in critical condition were referred to Peshawar hospitals.

The highway was closed in Sadda to traffic, while the police and paramilitary personnel were deployed in the town and adjoining areas to ensure peace.

The authorities declared a curfew in Sadda after clashes between the residents and law-enforcement personnel.

When contacted, deputy commissioner Wasil Khan saidthe administration had brought the situation ‘under control’ and normalcy was returning to the area.

He also said the jirga had been engaged for the early resolution of the issue.

The DC said legal action against lawbreakers was under way.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2022