DERA GHAZI KHAN, Nov 9: At least three people were killed and several others injured in a clash between protesters and personnel of law enforcement agencies near Dera Ghazi Khan on the eve of country-wide wheel-jam strike called by the religious organizations on Friday to condemn US-led attacks on Afghanistan.
Madressa students and their supporters, few hundred in numbers, stopped the 21-Up Chiltan Express near Shahdan Lond Railway Station, about 45km from Dera City in the North of Indus highway, by placing boulders on the railway track.
Kala police reached the troubled spot after calling for reinforcement to combat the situation in Shahdan-Lond. The police along with area union council Nazim Sardar Javed Lond stared negotiations with the protesters to get removed the hurdles to normalize the railway traffic.
When the negotiations failed, the protesters reportedly started pelting stones on police. At this, the police resorted to shelling teargas to disperse the protesters. But the violent mob was not inclined to yield.
As the reinforcement had yet to reach the spot, the policemen combating the protesters at that time opened fire. Falak Sher and Asif died on the spot while Abdul Karim died on way to hospital. Of the injured, condition of Junaid and Mohammad Irfan was stated to be critical at the DHQ hospital of Dera.
Later, the mob went on a rampage spree and reportedly set ablaze a number of official vehicles. The violent protesters also ‘kidnapped’ some police officials who were sitting at the rooftop of the house of Seth Abdul Majeed after giving them a sound thrashing on the spot.
The number of kidnapped police officials could not be ascertained exactly as the area people put it at two while the DIG Dera Range, Anwar Pasha, told Dawn that four police officials had been kidnapped. The kidnapped officials could not be rescued till the time of filing this report.
Similarly, some protesters blocked the railway traffic near Kot Addu railway station by placing hurdles on the track on a railway crossing. Consequently, at least four passenger trains were standing at various spots of Kot Addu section. Chiltan was stopped at Shahdan Lond, Khushal Express at Taunsa Barrage, 189-Up at Sinawa and 1890-Down at Daira Din Panah.
Earlier, in the wee hours of Friday, reportedly the madressa students blocked the inter-provincial Indus highway in protest. During this time a prisoners-carrying van was coming from Taunsa Sharif carrying religious leaders arrested during the midnight crackdown ahead of the strike. On seeing the students at the road the arrested leaders started chanting slogans. At this, the protesters went further violent and tried to get released their leaders. It is learnt that they succeeded in setting free a number of arrested ulema and thereafter set the van on fire.
DIG Anwar Pasha though confirmed that the prisoners-van was intercepted and later on set ablaze by the protesters but denied that they managed to get released the arrested ulema. He said the van was being escorted by two police mobiles which were later used to take back the ulema to Taunsa.
Meanwhile, the funeral prayers of all the three deceased were offered in Shahdan Lond after the Juma prayers.
Both railway traffic on Kot Addu section and vehicular traffic on Indus highway could not be restored till evening.