RAWALPINDI: A day after a traffic warden was shot and injured while intercepting a motorcyclist doing wheelies, a mob attacked a traffic police post at Chandni Chowk to get back scores of motorcycles impounded during the ongoing campaign against wheelie.

As a result, two people, including a traffic warden, were injured and five of the attackers arrested.

The five suspects were later booked under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) by the New Town police. The police are also conducting raids to arrest the other people involved in the attack on the police post.

Five attackers arrested and booked under terrorism charges

On Thursday, a traffic warden was shot and injured after he intercepted two youth doing a wheelie on a bike near Sixth Road. Later, the police registered an FIR against the unidentified pillion rider who was described to be in his 20s.

The attacker was booked under section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, and for attempted murder, dangerous driving and violating the motor vehicle ordinance.

Police said on Friday morning over 80 people attacked the police post at Chandni Chowk to get about six motorcycles which the police had impounded for doing wheelie.

The police said traffic warden Ikhlaq Shah, 31, and a motorcyclist, Abdul Basit, 19, doing wheelie clashed at Chandni Chowk, Murree Road, at about 6:40pm.

The traffic warden suffered a deep wound to his foot while the motorcyclist got his hand injured. Both the injured were provided first aid on the spot by Rescue 1122.

The police said as the warden and the motorcyclist clashed, a large number of people gathered on the spot and chanted slogans against the police and then attacked the police post.

“The mob held the traffic wardens hostage, fired gunshots into the air, damaged furniture, threw stones on the post besides trying to set ablaze police vehicles parked outside.

“However, reinforcement of police and the Elite Force commandoes were called who helped control the situation,” said a spokesman for the traffic police.

Five of the attackers were also rounded up by the police and later booked under the terrorism act for attacking the police and violating the ban on wheeling on the complaint of traffic police Inspector Saeed Ahmed.

In his complaint lodged with the police, Mr Ahmed said he along with other officials stopped four motorcyclists at Chandni Chowk early on Friday.

He said one of the motorcyclists slipped and sustained a minor injury while trying to escape. Later, the motorcyclist was shifted to the police post and his unregistered vehicle impounded.

He said after sometime a car stopped in front of the police post and some people identifying themselves as Haji Shahzad, Omer Javaid, Waheed Javaid and Talah entered the premises. In the meantime, he added, 80 to 90 other people also arrived on the spot. They surrounded the police post and Mr Talah fired gunshots into the air to create panic and fear.

He said Mr Talah also smashed windowpanes and the rear windscreen of a police car parked outside the post and also pelted stones on the police post which left some of the attackers injured. He alleged that a police motorcycle was also damaged by the mob.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2017