KARACHI, May 5: A protester lost his life and as many as 20 policemen sustained injuries in a clash that reportedly took place after police were attacked by people in Sikandar Goth on Friday during the ongoing anti-encroachment operation launched in the village near Sohrab Goth by the city government.

A senior police official said that the deceased could not be identified immediately. The cause of his death was also yet to be established, he added.

The anti-encroachment operation was launched on Thursday and the local residents had reacted angrily to the drive. A clash between the two sides was also reported on that day.

On Friday evening, according to police, residents of the Sikandar Goth attacked police with stones causing injuries to many of the policemen escorting the city government’s anti-encroachment staff. “They also resorted to firing, using sub-machineguns,” a senior police officer claimed. However, none of the injured policemen appeared to have suffered a bullet injury. Police fired hundreds of teargas shells to disperse the protesters, causing problems to the people living in the nearby housing schemes.

Law-enforcement agencies had, earlier on Friday, got all petrol pumps located within the vicinity of Sikandar Goth, closed fearing a law and order situation amid a tense situation that prevailed in the area after some untoward incidents on the previous day.

Soon after the reported clash between police and protesters on Friday evening, reinforcements from almost all police stations in the city were rushed to the troubled area. Even the Artillery Maidan, a police station located far away from the area, sent a contingent to help quell the violence.

Among the injured police officials were TPO Gulshan Asif Ajaz, TPO Gadap Shahnawaz, DSP of Gulshan-i-Iqbal and SHO of Malir Cantt.

The protesters also set on fire a car parked in the area. Later, it was reported that cash amounting to Rs800,000 to one million was there in the car and the money also gutted.

On his part, the DIG Operations said that several police officials escorting the anti-encroachment staff in the operation were wounded in the violence. He, however, expressed his ignorance about anyone among the protesters having sustained injuries.

“Police have brought the situation under control and negotiations with the influential people of the area under way now,” he said on Friday night, adding: “No arrests have been made so far.” TPO Gulshan also denied anyone having been arrested in connection with the violence.

The violence led to serious disruption in traffic flow all around the trouble area as Super Highway remained blocked for many hours during the day. Sohrab Goth, the main entry point to the city, and all other arteries leading to it, witnessed complete traffic chaos.

A senior police official said: “For security reasons, police have kept the highway closed to traffic although the violence has ended as we are waiting for the outcome of the negotiations.

Till filing this report at around midnight, the negotiations between senior police officials and elders of Sikandar Goth were under way and no FIR in connection with the violence was registered.