TANK: The death toll from the Thursday’s clash between two rival groups rose to 16 after the police recovered a bullet-riddled body from the fields in Ammakhel village here on Friday.

The relatives of the deceased placed bodies of the 15 victims on the road in city centre and held a demonstration to protest against the incident and demand immediate arrest of the killers. The road remained blocked for over six hours.

The protesters were led by JUI-F MPA Mehmood Khan Betani, its district chief Ahmad Jan, former MPA Ghulam Qadir Khan Betani and PPP leader Nadeem Mahsud.

Toll reaches 16 as one more body recovered

The speakers on this occasion alleged that the police were dragging their feet to arrest the killers.

Tank deputy commissioner Fahad Wazir held talks with the protesters and assured them of early arrest of the culprits. He persuaded the protesters to open the road to traffic.

In the meantime, DIG Dera Ismail Khan Syed Feroz Shah also reached there to persuade the protesters to remove the bodies for burial.

Later, DC Fahad Wazir told a press briefing that Inam Marwat group was wanted to the police in 21 different cases of heinous nature. He said that cases would be registered against Inam Marwat and five other members of his group under 7 ATA and their houses would also be demolished under the local customs.

The protesters after removing the bodies from the road refused to disperse and continued to hold the sit-in. Later, the police resorted to baton charge and teargas shelling to disperse them and open the road.

Shops and markets in Tank city remained closed during the demonstration.

The police said that they had recovered the body of a Betani tribesman, identified as Muntazir Betani.

They said that he was killed in firing by Inam Marwat group.

Earlier, armed men from the Betani tribe had shot dead two relatives of Inam Marwat. Later, Inam Marwat and his armed men attacked Betani tribesmen and killed two of them at a petrol station. The gunmen later opened firing on a motorcycle, killing a man and injuring his son. They also hailed from the Betani tribe.

Soon after that, the Inam Marwat group opened indiscriminate firing on a moving commuter van, killing 10 people, a woman and child among them.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2019