MULTAN, March 20: Eleven people, including a DSP, were injured on Sunday in skirmishes between the supporters of former minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi and the supporters of a PML-N MNA, the family and supporters of Mr Kazmi said.

Abdul Aziz Saeedi, Madrassa Anwarul Aloom caretaker, said hundreds of workers of the Jamaat Ahl-i-Sunnat, led by former minister's brother Sajjad Saeed Kazmi, were protesting Kazmi's arrest at Bahawalpur bypass. The former minister is under the custody of the Federal Investigation Agency in Haj scam.

Tensions gripped the area when motorcyclists Imran and Rana Mehran opened fire at the demonstration for blocking the road, Saeedi said, and the firing left Muhammad Siddiq, a worker of the Jamaat, injured.

He said the demonstrators asked DSP Maqsood Gujjar to arrest Rana Mehran, who is reportedly the cousin of PML-N MNA Rana Mehmoodul Hassan. When the DSP did not take any action and let the accused flee the scene, the protesters chased and held the alleged attackers, he said. They also thrashed the police staff, including the DSP, and ransacked shops and a few vehicles.

Mr Saeedi said MNA's supporters held up a few activists of the Jamaat and tortured five of them at the outhouse of the MNA. Six people, including both the accused who opened fire, were admitted to Nishtar Hospital and were identified as Muhammad Siddique, Imran, Zahid, Imran (Shah Rukn-i-Alam Colony), Mehran Ali and Zahid of Mirpur.

Mr Saeedi alleged police had arrested seven Jamaat workers in a one-sided action.

Mr Kazmi said both attackers had been handed over the police. He said he had reported to police about the torture of his workers at the 'dera' of the MNA.

SHO Yasin Khan said police had yet to lodge the FIR of the incident. He denied the arrest of attackers, saying that unidentified people had opened fire at the demonstration and the police were investigating the matter.