KASUR: Lawyers and police officials are face on face again.

Police lodged three first information reports (FIRs) against lawyers on Thursday, and arrested a dozen lawyers for manhandling a sub inspector on the Chunian court premises.

Police also refused to register cases on lawyers’ applications who, later, moved court.

Kasur, Chunian and Pattoki bars boycotted court proceedings on Thursday.

On Wednesday, seven lawyers, including Muhammad Ashfaq Jaat, allegedly manhandle SI Shaukat Ali on court premises where he was to appear in a murder case. Police say lawyers beat the SI, tore his uniform and snatched his official pistol, official file and Rs6,500 from him. The injured police official was hospitalized.

The City Chunian police registered a case against the seven lawyers. SI Ali states lawyer Jatt came to see him at Kanganpur police station a few days back and sought favour in a case.

Police continued raids on Wednesday night and Thursday to arrest the lawyers. Kanganpur police entered two FIRs on Thursday against lawyers for staging a protest demonstration, blocking road and rioting on Kanganpur-Allahabd Road near village Lalokay.

In anther FIR, police alleged lawyers and their family members resisted police when it raided houses to arrest accused lawyers.

On Wednesday, hundreds of lawyers staged a protest demonstration and blocked the road by burning tyres. They alleged police officials, on a picket, opened indiscriminate fire at lawyers who were traveling in a car. The lawyers remained unhurt. The lawyers demanded an FIR against Kanganpur Station House Officer Muhammad Akram and SI Shaukat Ali.

On Wednesday night, more than 100 police officials raided the houses of lawyers Nasir Khan, Tariq Khan, Ashfaq Jaat, Shabab Milli and Malik Naeem Haider in Allahabad and allegedly resorted to aerial firing, tortured women and children and arrested five lawyers.

District Police Officer Rai Baber Saeed said that police did not fire at lawyers. The picket was set up only to arrest the lawyers who had manhandle the SI. He said the accused would be dealt in accordance with law.

Chunian Bar General-Secretary Muhammad Ilyas Tahir said police had insulted one of their colleagues, Ashfaq, at the DSP office some days back and after that police and lawyers exchanged words several times. The matter was later reconciled. The situation went out of control when police kidnapped some lawyers and they were still missing.

He added bars would continue strike till action was taken against the police officials.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2015

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