A team of Karachi Development Authority's (KDA) anti-encroachment cell was shot at and pelted with stones, allegedly by land grabbers, in Korangi area on Tuesday, according to the authority's spokesperson.
"Unknown miscreants" also set fire to 3-4 motorcycles at a workshop, an estate agency and a scrap car during the violence, police said.
The team was conducting an operation in the Mehran Town area of Korangi when they faced severe resistance, the KDA spokesperson said.
The development authority's representative claimed that three employees of KDA's Estate and Enforcement department were injured as enraged protesters attacked them. A KDA photographer also sustained injuries.
The encroachment operation was stopped following the violence, police said.
The injured have been shifted to a hospital for treatment, while KDA officials are in the process of getting a first information report (FIR) registered against the attackers.
A statement issued in the evening quoted Korangi Industrial Area (KIA) police as saying that the KDA officials were injured during the pelting of stones.
Seven people involved in the violence, including those who allegedly opened fire on police, were arrested during an operation started by law enforcement agencies in the area. A 9mm pistol was also seized.
Taking notice of the episode, Inspector General of Police Sindh Dr Syed Kaleem Imam directed the DIG East to submit a report after conducting an inquiry and provide details of actions taken by the police.
He instructed the SSP Korangi to ensure the implementation of law while following the prescribed rules and regulations.
The KDA, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and other civic bodies, backed by law enforcers, are currently carrying out anti-encroachment operations throughout the metropolis on the orders of the Supreme Court.
On November 11, the authorities had demolished more than 1,000 shops in four markets in the surroundings of the iconic Empress Market, while a 'grand operation' along both tracks of the Karachi Circular Railway was to be launched on Monday.
Imtiaz Ali is a Karachi-based reporter for Dawn with over 25 years of experience in the field. His reporting portfolio encompasses crime, politics, and the provincial legislature, alongside coverage of the courts, government affairs, and the health sector.
