MINGORA: Five girl students received injuries when gun of a school guard went off accidentally in Madyan area of Swat district on Thursday Morning.

Police said that the incident took place at 8am when gun of Rahimullah, a guard of government girls high school in Madyan went off accidentally. The accidental firing left five girls injured, they added.

The injured girls were rushed to Madyan hospital for treatment. According to doctors, the injured girls were out of danger. `We have arrested the guard and shifted him to police station for investigation,` said SHO Mohammad Ali.

However, the parents of the wounded girls forgave the guard and termed the incident an accident.

On June 12 in 20015, a 14-year-old student in Sangota area of Swat was killed in a similar incident.

Similarly, four girl students sustained injuries when gun of a security guard of a private school in Jandar Banda area in Masehara went off accidentally on January 17 in 2015.

The government has made it compulsory for all schools to deploy armed guards at the gates following the attack on Army Public School in Peshawar on 16 December, 2014. The provincial government had also imparted training to schoolteachers and allowed them to keep arms in classrooms, however, the move was criticised by civil society and parents of students.

STRIKE: The traders in Khwazakhela observed shutter down strike on Thursday against the security forces for arresting local residents.

According to local sources, the residents of Chalyar, Tikdarai, Shamak, Titabat and other areas in Khwazakhela tehsil blocked road the other day to protest power loadshedding when security forces tried to disperse them that led to scuffle between the protesters and security forces.

However, the security forces thrashed the protesters and also arrested some shopkeepers and forcefully closed down Khwazakhela Bazaar.

`Actually, the protesters blocked road in Titabat area against loadshedding but the security forces came to Khwazakhela Bazaar and started beating everyone,` said Sajjad Khan and Abubakar, the president and general secretary of Khawazakhela Traders Federation.

They said that traders decided to go on strike against the act of security forces. The shutter-down caused inconveniences to customers.