Punjab police have claimed that the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) was "brutally tortured" by activists of the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) during a violent protest at Lahore's Orphanage Chowk. 4 other officials were also taken hostage.
Rana Arif, spokesman for the Lahore CCPO, said angry activists of the banned organization also attacked police with petrol bombs.
Three people were killed and several others, including policemen, were injured in an operation to evacuate the area from the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) protesters near Orphanage Chowk in Lahore.
It may be recalled that the TLP protest in the area has been going on since this week.
In addition, the Punjab Police released a statement on the social networking website Twitter in which it was said that this morning some elements attacked the Nawankot police station where police and Rangers personnel remained trapped inside the police station.
The statement said that the protesters abducted DSP Nawankot and took him to the center.
According to Punjab Police, the miscreants also took an oil tanker containing 50,000 liters of petrol to the center.
According to the statement, police and Rangers pushed back the miscreants and took back control of the police station.
Punjab police said they did not plan or carry out any operation against the mosque or madrassa.
"If any action was taken, it was for self-defense and protection of public property," he said.
On the other hand, in a video message, the spokesman of the banned party, Shafiq Amini, alleged that "forces suddenly attacked us at the Lahore center at 8 am today, in which a large number of our workers were killed and several others were injured."
He added that he would not bury the dead until the expulsion of the French ambassador and the implementation of the agreement reached with the government.
Meanwhile, police officials confirmed that an operation was underway at Lahore's Orphanage Chowk but did not give further details.
The videos, which went viral on social media, showed people carrying the injured, but some users pointed out that the videos were old.
The TLP also shared a video of a senior Punjab police official who was allegedly caught and tortured by members of the banned outfit.
The injured policeman said an operation was being carried out to clear the area of workers when they were "caught" by an "angry" mob.
Rana Arif, spokesman for CCPO Lahore, told Dawn that TLP workers "brutally tortured" a DSP, Omar Farooq Baloch, and took four other officials hostage.
He added that protesters also attacked police with petrol bombs.
He said 11 policemen had been injured in the "brutal torture" of TLP workers and were being treated at various hospitals in the city.
Three people were killed and several others were injured in the incident, he said, adding that the police officer called for resolving the issue through dialogue.
On the other hand, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Information Firdous Ashiq Awan said in various tweets that this morning (April 18) violent gangs armed with petrol bombs and acid bottles attacked the Nawankot police station, where Rangers and police Officers were detained and about six policemen were injured.
"Violent gangs abducted 12 policemen, including DSP Nawankot, at gunpoint and took them to their base, where a 50,000-liter oil tanker has also been kept for the attack," he said.
Firdous Ashiq Awan wrote that no operation was planned or initiated by the police and retaliatory action was taken only to defend themselves and rescue the abducted policemen.
Earlier, six policemen were martyred and more than 700 injured by these groups, he said.
It may be recalled that the Interior Ministry had on April 15 banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan and later the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) had also banned the party's media coverage.
Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan had said that he had taken action against the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) under the anti-terrorism law for challenging the state's authority.
In a tweet on the social networking site, the Prime Minister said, "I want to make it clear to people at home and abroad that our government took action against Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan under the Anti-Terrorism Act when they took over the state." He challenged the authority and resorted to violence and attacked the people and law enforcement agencies.
