SAHIWAL, Sept 13: Three protest rallies were taken out here on Monday in connection with the robbery at two shops at Sauri Gali and consequent alleged implication of PML district president in the case.

Thousands of students from the Government College Sahiwal and the Government Commerce College took out a procession to condemn the arrest of PML District President Mehr Aftab Baar, who is a student leader.

They raised slogans against the police and alleged that the shopkeepers of Sauri Gali had got a fake case registered against Mr Baar. They pledged to continue protest till the withdrawal of the case.

The police registered a case against 25 students under 16-MPO and arrested three of them, identified as Muhammad Sarwar, Muhammad Siddique and Ghulam Muhammad. Meanwhile, religious leaders protested against what, they said, implication of cleric Qari Muhammad Ahmad Rashidi in the incident.

They demanded suspension of the police officials for lodging a fake case against the Qari. Otherwise, they said, they would launch a protest movement. Earlier, traders observed shutter-down strike for two hours to protest the robbery incident.

Anjuman-i-Tajran President Muhammad Ashraf Chughtai and some office-bearers alleged in a press conference that Imran Malik, the son of Sargodha region ACE additional director Ahmad Raza Tahir, was involved in the incident.

They said the police initially arrested him on the protest of traders, but later exonerated him. Meanwhile, the police claim to have arrested six people, Imran Malik among them, so far. Imran has been re-arrested, they add.