SAHIWAL: The Fateh Sher police booked 13 people, including three women, for harassing and attacking the census workers during an ongoing national digital census at Chak 80/5-R, tehsil Chichawatni.

A team of digital enumerators, led by Waheed Alam, reached the village for the digital census. They were filling out forms when they were allegedly harassed and attacked by the villagers who did not want to be counted and registered for the census.

The team told them that it was the national duty but three villagers, namely Muhammad Imran, Shahbaz and Maqsood alias Kali, abused the team members. The suspects brought bamboo clubs and sticks to attack Waheed and Constable Muhammad Iftikhar. Nobody was injured in the attack but the census team was forced to stop work.

The workers made an emergency call to the police who responded and reached the site.

The Fateh Sher police arrested the nominated suspects and enumerators restarted their work.

The police registered a case on the complaint of Waheed Alam against Imran, Shahbaz and Maqsood and their 10 unidentified accomplices.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2023