MANSEHRA: Police have booked the station house officer in connection with the alleged killing of a man, after protesters blocked the main road in the early hours of Saturday.
The incident occurred when police intercepted a car in the Fogdara area of Perhana, and its driver, Abbas Arshad, allegedly attempted to flee, prompting the cops to open fire.
According to the FIR lodged at the Police reporting centre established at King Abdullah Teaching Hospital, the deceased was on his way home along with three other persons when SHO Hamza Khan intercepted the vehicle and allegedly opened fire when he tried to escape.
The incident sparked protests as the residents took to the streets and block the Mansehra-Abbottabad Road for all sorts of traffic by placing the body on the road.
They later shifted the body to the bypass, suspending traffic between Mansehra city and the rest of Hazara Division. They raised slogans against the police and initially demanded registration of an FIR under the Anti-Terrorism Act, but later agreed to the registration of a case under Section 302 of the PPC.
The body was subsequently moved to King Abdullah Teaching Hospital for medico-legal formalities, where some charged demonstrators allegedly attacked police personnel.
The protesters dispersed peacefully after the superintendent of police, deputy superintendent of police and SHOs of various police stations held talks with former provincial minister Mohammad Iqbal, leading the protesters and ordered the registration of FIR.
A police official told reporters that the deceased was wanted by the Battal Police Station in a case registered under sections 324, 363, 427, 148 and 149 on November 14, 2025, and had been declared a proclaimed offender (PO), bearing number 662.
