Excelsior Correspondent
RAJOURI, Apr 11: At least five police personnel including SHO Manjakote and at least half a dozen civilians were injured during clash between villagers and policemen, forcing cops to lob teargas shells to quell violent protesters at Manjakote on Rajouri-Poonch highway this afternoon.
There was heavy stone pelting on the cops by the violent protesters as the police resorted to lathi-charge on the villagers sitting on the road, disrupting movement of traffic on the busy Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch highway. The police lobbed at least a dozen tear gas shells on the protesting villagers. A large number of vehicles including Army convoy remained stranded for at least three hours on the road.
The trouble started after the police detained one Mohd Shabir, a PHE worker hailing from Gambir Muglan by Manjakote police. Infact, the police party had gone to arrest one Sheraz Ahmed Azhari, a self styled Moulvi at Gambir Muglan last evening on the directions of SSP Rajouri. There were complaints with the SSP that one Azhari hailing from Mandhar was instigating the innocent public through his propaganda. He stayed in the house of Shabir for few days. The police picked up Shabir for questioning.
Today at around 1.30 pm family members, relatives and people from Gambhir Muglan came to Manjakote and started protest against police on the highway near Police Station. They raised barricades and stalled the movement of vehicles. A large number of women also joined protest. They alleged that police arrested innocent person and was harassing him for his no fault.
SHO Manjakote Mohd Yunis tried to clear the road but some women started manhandling. The cops then resorted to lathi-charge on the protesting villagers. The mob then turned violent and it resorted to stone pelting. The situation became tense. In stoning SHO received stone injury on head. Four more cops were injured during clash. The violent mob tried to Gherao the Police Station and the cops lobbed at least a dozen teargas shells on the mob to quell them. Five local persons were injured and hospitalized. They are Sharifa Begum, Mohd Latief, Mohd Sadiq, Hassan Bano and Rubina Kouser.
The injured cops are- Abdul Gafoor, Shakeel Ahmed, Said Mohammed and Gul Hussain.
The District Administration then came into action and rushed some reinforcement from Rajouri. SDPO Manjakote, Zakir Mirza and DySP Headquarters Hamid Choudhary and ACR Parmajeet Singh rushed to the spot. They tried to pacify the protesters. It took some time to them to defuse the situation. They also told villagers that Shabir has been released and he had been called for questioning in connection with Azhari’s activities in the area. The wanted accused could not be arrested and was still at large. The traffic on the highway was restored at around 4.30 pm.
SSP Rajouri said that a case FIR has been registered in connection with the attack on police. He said five cops including SHO have been injured and police lobbed 2-3 teargas shells to quell the violent mob. A large number of vehicles including those going to Dera Nangali Sahib Poonch on Baisakhi Mela also remained stranded for long on the highway.
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