July 10, 2008	Thursday	Rajab 6, 1429

JHANG, July 9: Traders and shopkeepers took Traffic DSP Taseer Dar and some policemen ‘hostage’ during an anti-encroachments drive in the city’s busiest Rail Bazaar on Wednesday.

A heavy contingent of Elite Force led by Additional SP Mehboob Rashid got the DSP released after around an hour following negotiations with Anjuman-i-Tajran leadership.

The Rail Bazaar, Sadar, is a narrow and congested shopping area in the city’s old part and several people backed by some political leaders and religious personalities have encroached upon pedestrians’ way. Similar is the situation in its tributaries, Khatianwala Bazaar and Loharanwala Bazaar.

DSP Dar led a police party and anti-encroachment squad that raided the Rail Bazaar on Wednesday.

During the drive, according to eyewitnesses, the DSP manhandled some shopkeepers, who got infuriated and later detained the DSP in a shop along with other policemen.

Upon receiving information, Additional SP Rashid reached the scene and got the policemen liberated after one-hour negotiations with shopkeepers.

In the meantime, the shopkeepers had closed down their shops on the appeal of Anjuman-i-Tajran. The shops were closed till the filing of this report.

DSP Dar told Dawn that he was performing his duty by getting encroachments removed but the shopkeepers, who had rented out illegally extended portions of their shops to vendors at Rs5,000 to Rs10,000 rent, could not tolerate this and took the law in their hands.

Additional SP Rashid told Dawn that the DSP should have refrained from using the force against the encroachers and the operation could have been conducted more appropriately after consultation with traders.

He denied that the DSP was taken hostage. Contrary to this, he said, some responsible and law-abiding shopkeepers had locked the DSP up in a shop along with themselves to save him from the wrath of highly-charged and provoked shopkeepers and vendors and later they rang him up to come and evacuate the DSP and other policemen.

The SP said that an inquiry had been ordered into the incident and persons found guilty would not be spared.

Anjuman-i-Tajran spokesman told Dawn that they would call the strike off today till the outcome of the inquiry.