PESHAWAR - Police baton-charged and fired teargas shells upon the protesting tribal people gathered here at main Sher Shah Suri Road outside the Press Club on Thursday, to condemn the killing of 18 tribesmen in tehsil Bara.
Earlier in the morning, the student activists affiliated with different political and religious parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Fata Students’ Federation (FSF), Khyber Students’ Federation (KSF) and common tribesmen gathered to record their protest against the killing of 18 innocent persons in Alamgudar area of tehsil Bara, Khyber Agency.
The protesting students led by JI Khyber Agency Chapter Ameer Shah Faisal Afridi, student leaders Haroon Luqman, Musharraf Afridi, Sajjad Afridi, and a large number of students staged a sit-in against the government. The infuriated tribal students blocked main Saddar road traffic, and staged a sit-in for several hours.
A police contingent rushed to the spot and started merciless baton charge and used teargas against the protestors to disperse them after declining to end their sit-in.
In retaliation, the enraged protesting students also started hurling bricks and pelted stones against police and took refugee in the under-construction building of Rescue-1122 adjacent to Press Club building.
The protesters demanded lifting of the years-long curfew in Bara, end to the security forces prolonged military operations in Khyber Agency, and announcement of a special compensation package to those injured and families of the deceased during military operation.
In the half-hour clash between the police and protesters a cameraman of a private TV channel Sadiq Bangash received injuries, who was later rushed to Lady Reading Hospital. Whereas, a number of police personnel also got hurt by angry protesters by pelting of stones upon them. In the meanwhile, the police arrested more than 20 protesters including students belonging to different political groups.
, while the rest of the protesters succeeded to flee to Saddar bazzar and cantonment area.