BADIN: A shutdown was observed in Pangrio town of Badin district on Saturday for a few hours during which followers of Saint Syed Saman Shah held a demonstration in front of his shrine, situated some six kilometres from the town, against disruption of his urs celebration a day earlier.

The Pangrio police had baton-charged visitors, fired shots into the air and rounded up more than two dozen people, including some women and transvestites, after a group of devotees in defiance their order to vacate the shrine for security reasons post stiff resistance. No one was reported hurt in the clash.

A shutdown call for Saturday was given by some local organisations representing devotees of Saman Shah, as well as traders and followers of certain sects.

The situation returned back to normal in the second half of the day after the demonstrators dispersed peacefully.

The three-day urs of Syed Saman Shah, called by his devotees `Laar jo Laal` was drawing to a close when the area police entered the shrine on Friday evening to get the place vacated for security reasons.

However, speaking to a group of local newsmen on Saturday, Badin SSP Abdul Qayum Pitafi reportedly said that the police action was aimed at stopping immoral activities involving some women dancers and transvestites during the festival that was under way as part of the urs celebration at the shrine.

The participants in the demonstration, rejecting the police claim, alleged that the area police intervened without any reason and subjected devotees and other visitors to thrashing and harassment. They said the police dismantled scores of stalls at the shrine causing losses to vendors.

They also demanded release of a number of people rounded up during and after the police action.

The shrine custodian, Syed Ali Bukhsh Shah, also condemned the police action and urged the provincial police chief and other authorities to order an inquiry into the matter.