LAHORE: Residents of Hair area of the Lahore Cantonment are worried following registration of a criminal case by police against some locals for allegedly confronting security force personnel.

The police say they acted after a video clip of the incident surfaced on social media, showing some locals apparently confronting security force personnel over a piece of land located near the Bambawala-Ravi-Bedia (BRB) Canal.

According to the First information report (FIR) lodged by an area resident, Khadim Hussain, the army guards were patrolling the area some two weeks back when they saw 8-10 people trying to occupy a piece of land belonging to a security agency.

It says when the security personnel tried to stop the locals from occupying the land illegally, the suspects, including Razzaq, Asif, Amir and other unidentified men, misbehaved with them (security personnel), used abusive language, and hurled threats.

Suspects allege pressure for selling land at lower rate

The complainant alleges the suspects also made a video clip of the uniformed personnel to defame the state institution.

However, one of the suspects nominated in the FIR, Razzaq, rejected the allegations.

He says he and his father inherited a 16-acre piece of agriculture land in the area and were being pressurised by some officials to sell the land at half of its actual rate.

Razzaq says the actual price of land in the area is more than Rs20 million per acre, but they are being asked to sell it at around Rs10m per acre.

He alleges that the local police misused their authority and registered a criminal case against him, his brothers and other relatives, terming it harassment to get the land at a throwaway price.

He says since the police have registered the case, tension has mounted in the area because other land owners in the area apprehend the same treatment by the police.

“All land owners and other elders of the area are holding meetings to use all available legal options to protect our properties,” Razzaq says, adding they will also lodge a protest if police used force to dispossess them of their properties unlawfully.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2024