SHEIKHUPURA, June 5: Some policemen and prisoners suffered injuries in a pitched battle between them at the district jail over what authorities claimed recovery of mobile phone sets and narcotics from the captives.

A source told Dawn on Thursday that some prisoners, including Umar Sana Goraya who had recently been shifted from the Gujranwala prison, would use cell phones in violation of jail rules and were also in possession of narcotics.

Jail Superintendent Ijaz Asghar Bhatti during a round of the barracks warned Umar Sana and other captives involved in heinous crime against using cell phones and narcotics. The under-trial men, however, threw down the gauntlet to the officials by exchanging a word.

The jail officials called in a police contingent from different police stations and as they resorted to aerial firing to control the rioters, the prisoners pelted them with stones and bricks. Some of the captives and police officials suffered injuries in the clash.

Additional IG jail Javed Latif, the DPO and the DCO reached the troubled spot and the police later took control of the jail premises. They didn’t allow even journalists to enter the premises.

The higher-ups ordered an inquiry to get to the actual cause of clash. DCO Suleman Ijaz claimed that some prisoners, who were shifted from the Gujranwala jail, tried to flee. The jail authorities timely acted and foiled the captives’ bid which resulted in the skirmish, he added.—Correspondent