The slain persons were installing a hand pump at an outhouse when a rival group attacked them, police said. — File Photo

GUJRAT Fourteen people were killed and two injured on Saturday after a group of armed men opened fire on them in a village in Gujrat district.

The multiple murders happened in Sirya village, near Kotla Arab Ali Khan, some 30 kilometres from here, on Saturday.

According to police, the murdered men were installing a hand-pump at an outhouse when their rivals attacked them with sophisticated weapons.

Six of the dead were relatives and belonged to the Ilyas group and the rest were workers and passers-by. They were identified as Ishtiaq Anwar, Mohammad Arshad, Mohammad Farooq, Fida Husain, Raja Mohammad Akram, Imran Akram, Rizwan Akram, Sajjad Akram, Qamar Shahzad, Ziaullah, Mohammad Akbar, Mohammad Yasir and Waqar.

The injured were identified as Tahir Anwar and Khurram. The bodies and the injured were taken private hospitals in Kotla and Kharian.

Sources said the attackers belonged to the Dhenda group whose two men were killed last year.

The motive behind the killing was said to be old enmity continuing for 15 years. About 40 to 50 have fallen victims to the feud. Five women of families belonging to the Ilyas group were killed in different attacks last year.

The district police officer suspended the SHO of Kakrali police station after the incident.

Family members of those killed held a demonstration outside the police station in late night. According to sources, they refused to burry the bodies till the arrest of the killers.

Tension gripped the village and extra police personnel were deployed to prevent any untoward incident.