More details of naval officials’ attack

Published August 18, 2002

BAHAWALNAGAR, Aug 17: More details of a naval team’s Thursday night attack on the Faqirwali police station surfaced on Saturday.

According to sources, the sailors kept the police station under their control for several hours. During their ‘sojourn’ they also seized the police wireless system besides disconnecting the telephone.

One of the officials, identified as Bashir, beat detained villagers Naseer and Imran and their paternal uncle Saleem with fists and kicks. Another official thrashed Shafique.

The navy men had taken the action in retaliation. Some villagers of Chak 44/6-R, it may be added, had beaten a navy team on a dispute of water turn. On the report of a senior Navy official, the Faqirwali police arrested 36 villagers.

On Thursday night, Navymen from Bahawalpur reached Faqirwali and sought custody of arrested villagers. When the SHO concerned turned down their demand, they allegedly thrashed policemen present there besides the villagers.

As local newsmen learnt about the attack on Friday, some officials of the district administration tried to persuade them not to file the story.