OKARA, April 23: Cantonment police claimed on Saturday to have registered a case against 105 tenants on several charges, including setting wheat crop ablaze. Reports said the case had been instituted under sections 395, 324, 353, 435, 148, 152 MPO and section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism act on the report of Cantonment police SHO Rana Liaquat Ali Khan.

The complainant alleged that the police and some armymen went to fields to harvest wheat but scores of tenants, led by Altaf and Abdul Sattar Chaman, followed them armed with weapons and clubs, and set the wheat crop ablaze. He alleged that they also opened fire, injuring policemen Shahid Munir, Muhammad Pervez and Shahid Yousaf, besides him.

The mob, he added, also chanted slogans against the army.

Meanwhile, official sources claimed that a minor clash took place between the tenants of Chak 15/4-L and law enforcers on April 21 over ‘illegal’ harvesting of wheat on the government land.

They claimed the tenants of Chak 15/4-L had signed an agreement with the Cantonment authorities for paying Rs500 to them before wheat harvesting, Rs1,000 after harvesting and as much amount after every six months. However, they said, a group of tenants attempted to harvest the crop in violation of the deal and set the crop ablaze.

This prompted law-enforcing agencies to take action and control the situation.

Later, a group of tenants gathered to bring out a rally but they were dispersed by the local police. Some individuals from both sides suffered minor injuries in a clash, the sources said.

The land belonged to Okara Cantonment and had nothing to do with the military farms, they claimed.