BADIN, Dec 3: Eight policemen, among them an SHO, two civilians who accompanied them and six villagers, suffered injuries in a clash when the villagers reportedly resisted the policemen’s attempt to barge into their houses during a raid on Saleh Panhwar village near Pangrio town, 60 kilometres from here, early on Monday morning.

According to villagers, a police party led by SHO of the Aminani police station of Dadu district, Rasool Bux Panhwar, along with a number of civilians (complainants) cordoned off the village in Tando Bago taluka to arrest some villagers.

Police said they were wanted by them under an FIR lodged by one Deedar Panhwar against Abdul Hakeem and his colleagues. But when they tried to barge into houses, the villagers resisted them with axes and batons and police responded with firing in the air, said the villagers.

On hearing gunshots, people in nearby villages rushed to Saleh Panhwar village to help their compatriots, they said.

Meanwhile, the Pangrio police arrived there after hearing severe firing. They joined their colleagues in firing into the air to scare the angry villagers into submission but both sides calmed only after inflicting severe wounds on one another.

The clash which continued for two hours left seven villagers including two women injured. Eight law-enforcers and two villagers who accompanied them also suffered wounds.

The injured policemen were identified as SHO Rasool Bux Panhwar, Ghulam Hussain Mallah, Abdul Hameed Panhwar, Ali Nawaz Jiskani, Abdul Haq Memon, Mohammad Ramzan Panhwar, Syed Mir Shah and Ismail Mallah, the civilians Deedar Hussain Panhwar and Ali Mohammad Panhwar and the villagers Porho Panhwar, Essa Panhwar, Ahmed Panhwar, Ali Mohammad Panhwar and two unidentified women.

The injured were taken to Hyderabad. The condition of Deedar Panhwar and five policemen is stated to be critical.

The villagers said the FIR was result of a simmering enmity between the two sides, which developed after some villagers of Saleh Panhwar village took shelter in a camp in Dadu during heavy floods where Abdul Hakeem had had a love affair with a girl and later married her in court.

The girl’s parents who apparently did not approve of the girl’s choice lodged criminal cases against several relatives of Abdul Hakeem, they said.

Badin SSP Fida Hussain Mastoi told journalists after arriving in the village that if Dadu police had not fulfilled legal formalities prior to the raid necessary action would be taken against them.

The SHO of the raiding party failed to give a proper answer when he was asked if he had sought permission in writing from the police station concerned and said that he had (verbally) informed the SHO of Tando Bago, Allan Abbasi.

The Tando Bago SHO was not available for comments but the in-charge at the police station said that no entry had been made by the Dadu police.

The Pangrio police have registered a case against 15 men, including five policemen of Aminani police station on a complaint lodged by a villager Suleman Panhwar.

Police did not confirm arresting any accused. However, Pangrio police have reportedly put under arrest Anwar Panhwar, Ghulam Sarwar and the injured policemen.