BAHAWALPUR: A man was killed and another suf fered injuries when a group of rivals opened firing on them at the Jalalpur Peerwala police station, about 70 kilometres away from here, in Lodhran district.

SHO Irshad Bhatti told Dawn over phone that the two groups had a dispute over land and had cases registered against them.

On Monday night, both groups were summoned to the police station forinvestigation and one of them opened firing on their rivals as a result of which Mumtaz and his aides suffered injuries and were shifted to the Jalalpur Peerawala THQ hospital where Mumtaz succumbed to injuries. His aide was in a critical condition.

The SHO claimed that Irshad and Naeem had been arrested under secdon 302 of PPC. He denied the firing incident on the premises of the police station.SUSPENDED: On the orders of Punjab Wildlife and Forest Minister Syed Abbas Ali Shah, provincial secretary retired Capt Zafar Iqbal has suspendedñve ofñcialsofthe Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar forest department from service for their alleged negligence and misappropriation of government funds.

The suspended officials are Sifarish Ali, Munir Anjum, RiazAhmed, subdivisional forest officer Farid Ahmed and divisional accountant Muhammad Zafar.

According to suspension orders, the five officials have been preliminary suspended for a period of three months under section 6 of PEEDA Act and during this period an inquiry against the suspended officials would be conducted.

Conservator of Forests, Bahawalpur Division, Gohar Mushtaq told Dawn that the five officials had been suspended by the provincial secretary and an inquiry would be initiated.