TOBA TEK SINGH: Police used teargas and baton charge on Monday to disperse hundreds of students who were protesting the alleged killing of a man from torture in police custody.

A strike was observed on the joint call of Anjuman-i-Tajiran and various political parties on the fourth consecutive day of the protest against police. As per an agreement with Faisalabad Regional Police Officer Ihsan Tufail, roads were not blocked and the sit-in was staged at Saddar Bazaar Chowk instead of Shahbaz Chowk.

But hundreds of students still gathered at Shahbaz Chowk. They set tyres on fire and blocked Jhang, Shorkot, Kamalia and Gojra roads and attempted to occupy the railway track.

They set a boat ablaze on the track. They also tried to march towards the City Police Station but were stopped by policemen on Gojra Road with teargas shelling and baton charge.

The protesters also shouted ‘Go Nawaz Go’ slogans and pelted policemen with stones, which was retaliated. Two policemen and a youth were injured while several received minor injuries. Some of the protesters fell unconscious due to the teargas shelling and were shifted to DHQ Hospital by Rescue 1122 staff.

Strike observed; two policemen, youth injured during clash

MPA Mian Muhammad Rafiq, Awami Workers Party District President Chaudhry Zubair and Secretary Akash Ashfaq and PPP leader Amer Jabbar addressed the protesters and condemned the alleged killing of the man, Shahid. They demanded immediate arrest of the policemen responsible and recovery of the body.

District bar association members also observed a strike in solidarity with the protesters.

Shahid had been arrested a week ago as a suspect in the murder case of his wife by Sub-Inspector Akhtar Saeed Bhinder and two constables who allegedly tortured him to death and disappeared along with his body.

STRIKE: A strike was observed here by all contractual teaching staff and other employees of government commerce colleges in the district over non-acceptance of their demands.

Professors and Lecturers Association spokesmen Nabeelur Rehman and Mahmood Ahmad said 27 months ago commerce colleges were shifted from Punjab Technical Board to Punjab Higher Education Department but since then they had not been paid their conveyance, medical, house rent and others allowances.

Published in Dawn, November 25th , 2014