SUKKUR: Many villagers and policemen were injured in a clash on Monday during a protest demonstration held after a man was shot dead in, what was claimed to be an ‘encounter’ earlier in the day.

The Sukkur police gunned down a villager and identified him as Raza Zangejo. They later claimed that he was wanted in several cases of dacoity and robbery, including the recent major robbery in which Rs10m were looted from a cashier of a telecom firm near Dua Chowk on Bandar Road.

They claimed that it was Raza who had masterminded the robbery and that a hunt had been under way for his arrest over the last few days.

Regarding the alleged encounter, the police said that during a routine snap checking near the overhead bridge within the limits of the Patni police station of Rohri taluka, some motorcycle riders were signaled to stop for checking.

They said the suspects, instead of stopping and getting themselves identified, sped away prompting the police party to chase them. The police claimed that the suspects were challenged at some distance from the checking point but they started firing on police.

When the fire was returned, one of the suspects suffered fatal bullet wounds, they added.

A weapon and a bag full of money were seized from the deceased suspect, who later turned out to be the notorious dacoit, Raza Zangejo, the police claimed, and said that the weapon and an amount of Rs1.45m found in the bag was taken into custody.

Sukkur SSP Amjad Ali Shaikh appreciated the police team’s performance and recommended a reward for them.

Soon after the alleged encounter, a large number of enraged villagers along with the bereaved family took to the street raising slogans against the police and demanding action against the team that shot dead Raza Zagnejo.

They took his body to the nearby section of the National Highway and blocked both tracks of the road.

Speaking to local reporters, the bereaved family rejected the police claim about the encounter, and accused them of killing him in cold blood. They demanded a fair investigation into the episode and action against the police team. They said Raza did not have any criminal record.

After several hours of road blockade, the Panti police held negotiations with the bereaved family and their relatives and asked them to clear the way.

However, the protesters kept demanding an FIR against the police team that killed Raza.

As the stalemate prolonged, a strong contingent of police riding several vehicles and an armoured personnel carrier (APC) proceeded to the venue of protest and started action to disperse them.

The protesters, according to the police, reacted violently attacking the police and their vehicles with clubs and stones causing considerable damage to them.

Many villagers and policemen were injured in the clash.

An official statement issued later said that “when the police reached the venue of the protest for negotiations, the protesters attacked them and subjected them to torture … several police personnel were seriously injured in the attack and several police mobiles, including the APC, were damaged”.

The injured police personnel were shifted to the nearby hospital for treatment, it said.

The statement said that SSP Amjad Ahmed Sheikh took a strict notice of the incident and dispatched a strong police force that managed to disperse the protesters and clear the road.

The SSP said strict action would be taken against those involved in violence.

Reports from the troubled area suggested that several of the protesters were rounded up after the clash.

Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2024