LANDI KOTAL, March 8: Jamrud remained tense on Monday as relatives of the five victims of the Sunday firing again blocked the Jamrud-Torkham road for almost the whole day demanding arrest of the killers.

The relatives have also reportedly refused to bury the victims and demanded their family head, Shiekh Sadiq, should be immediately released from Dera Ismail Khan jail. Out of the five dead, two were Shiekh Sadiq's sons.

They also demanded that their house be vacated from the armed attackers. The Khyber Agency political authorities had jailed Mr Sadiq for his alleged involvement in a number of criminal activities.

Tension gripped Jamrud on Sunday afternoon when over dozen of armed men forcibly occupied the house of Mr Sadiq and killed five people including two of his sons.

Jamrud political administration had deployed Khasadar force and personnel of Mehsood Scouts in the area to avert any untoward incident as both the armed groups had taken positions against each other.

The locals also staged a protest demonstration at Jamrud bazaar on Monday morning. Speaking at the gathering, Malik Ibrahim, scion of Wali Khan Kukikhel family, demanded of the administration to unconditionally release Shiekh Sadiq and arrest killers of his relatives.

Mr Ibrahim accused an official posted at the office of the political agent of the Khyber Agency for his alleged involvement in the Sunday killing and putting Mr Sadiq behind bars.

Armed protesters had on Monday morning also closed the Jamrud bazaar and warned of putting on fire the shops of those who violated the ban on opening of shops till the burial of the five victims and release of Mr Sadiq.

Authorities in Jamrud are reluctant to release Mr Sadiq without a bond. The people of the area have also constituted a jirga of local elders to persuade the family for the burial of five bodies and also help defuse tension in the area. The jirga had also held meetings with the assistant political agent at his office to resolve the problem.