HYDERABAD: Police used force to bring to an end a nine hours long blockade of the Hyderabad-Sheikh Bhirkio road on Sunday after some of the protesters started pelting stones, slightly injuring SHO of the Pabban police station.

The protesters were demanding release of three youths who, might have been arrested by the police of some other area, the injured police officer said.

SHO Liaquat Sarki, along with his team, was busy persuading the protesters to end the blockade but some people attacked them with stones.

The police baton-charged the protesters and later rounded up eight suspects.

The protesters belonged to the Kohli community living in Haji Jahan Jahejo village.

Speaking to the local reporters, they apprehended that their arrested community members -22-year-old Sanjay, 19-year-old Deepak and 13-year-old Bachoo might be killed in fake encounter. They alleged that a police team, which had raided their houses to arrest them, misbehaved with woman family members while taking them away to some unknown place.

The SHO said that the windowpane of one police mobile van was smashed by stonethrowers during the violence. Reinforcement had to be called to bring the situation under control, he added.

He said an FIR (325/24) was registered under Sections 6/7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act against the arrested protesters.

The police officer expressed his unawareness about the crime allegedly committed by the three youths. Nor did he know where the suspects were taken to after picking them up.