UMERKOT, Feb 4: A row between custodian of an Akhara Marhi and the so-called Hindu Panchayat over the ownership of a godown adjacent to it could not be resolved and police set up pickets on Saturday to avoid possibility of a clash after Friday’s firing incident.

According to Zulfiqar Arain, tenant of the godown, he was carrying out repairs of the plot rented out to him by its custodian, Nandgir.

One Ratan Malhi, posing himself as member of the Hindu Panchayat, attempted to stop the work, he added.

He said that before carrying out repairs on the plot, he had approached the SSP of Umerkot who had deployed police personnel and allowed him to carry out wok after checking tenancy agreement with Nandgir.

He said that despite presence of police, Ratan Malhi, along with 800 youth, attacked him and as a result two youth of Malhi community -- Moolchand and Rano -- received bullet injuries who were sent to a Hyderabad hospital.

Tension gripped the town after the incident and traders pulled down their shutters amid a strike against the incident.

Police formally registered a case against eight people belonging to Ziulfiqar Arain group on the complaint lodged by Ratan. Three of the nominated accused had been arrested.

Meanwhile, Ms Haryan, mother of the custodian of the Marhi, told reporters that the Marhi was their property for decades and she had rented out some shops and plots to Zulfiqar Arain, Ratan Malhi and others.

The Hindu Panchayat, she added, wanted to oust and deprive her of the property.

It was not a Hindu-Muslim issue and some elements with vested interests wanted to turn it into a controversy between Muslims and Hindus. The issue was purely commercial, she added.

She deplored injuries to two youngsters and blamed the so -called leaders of the Hindu Panchayat for it.

Substantiating her claim, Bachoo Rebaarhi, a follower and devotee, said that they were devotees of it the Marhi since their forefathers and Nandgir was its custodian. He regretted negative attitude of the Hindu Panchayat in this issue.

Former UC Nazim Dharamdas Malhi, who lives adjacent to the Marhi, said that Thakur, Rebaarhi, Malhi, Khatri and Sonara, had been nominating successor (custodians) of this Marhi and after death of Mithugar, his son Nangir, was chosen the gaddinasheen and he had every right to rent out shops and plots of Marhi to anyone.