KASUR: A Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) SDO and four lawyers were among many people injured in a clash between the power company officials and advocates in the Kot Radha Kishan courts on Tuesday.

A police contingent controlled the melee which resulted in injuries to the SDO, some Lesco officials, four lawyers, two litigants and as many clerks.

Earlier, Lesco officials had disconnected the power supply to the house of Advocate Tanvir Hanif despite the fact that he had obtained stay order from court. Lesco said the lawyer was a defaulter.

According to the application submitted by Tehsil Bar Association President Sharafat Virk, Advocate Hanif had submitted a contempt of court petition in Kot Radha Kishan in response to which court issued warrants for SDO Rana Muhammad Ayub’s arrest.

Annoyed by the warrants, around 70 Lesco staffers allegedly stormed the court premises and started beating the lawyers. Four lawyers, clerks Faisal Qadri and Ijaz Shah and litigants Abdul Rehman and Ahmed Waqas were injured.

The SHO and some Lesco officials also suffered injuries in the clash though SHO Ayub Gujjar said the company did not submit an application.

The Tehsil Bar Association announced that the lawyers would go on strike from Wednesday (today) for an indefinite period and it also submitted an appeal for countrywide strike to the Punjab Bar Council.

On the other hand, a number of Lesco union office-bearers from Kasur and other tehsils reached Kot Radha Kishan to show solidarity with their colleagues. They were said to be planning a strike but there was no announcement till last reports came in.

GROWERS’ WOES: The sugarcane growers are facing a crunch time due to delay in purchase of the crop, says JI Punjab Emir Mian Maqsood Ahmed.

Speaking to the media in Chunian on Tuesday, he alleged that the mills’ owners had established a mafia that exploited the growers. He expressed apprehension that further delay in the purchase of sugarcane would result in the shortage of wheat which could not be cultivated right now.

He said the government’s policies had brought the farmers on the verge of destruction.

Kissan Board Pakistan Information Secretary Muhammad Ramzan also held a meeting with the farmers in Phoolnagar and claimed that the owners of mills were exploiting the farmers by offering Rs120 per maund for sugarcane though last year’s price was Rs180.

He said the price of sugarcane should not be less than Rs250 keeping in view the cost of input (fertilizer, electricity and insecticides).

Mr Ramzan threatened that the farmers would take to the street if the situation persisted.

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2017