HYDERABAD: Traffic police personnel detained and manhandled staff of the anti-encroachment cell over demolition of a portion of their [traffic police’s] section office in the Fort area here on Saturday.

The cell, belonging to the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC), were engaged in removing encroachments, as per the directives of the district administration, underneath the Bacha Khan flyover in the afternoon. During the operation, supervised by HMC director (anti-encroachment) Touheed Ahmed, an unauthorised structure of the traffic police’s Fort section, located next to the HMC workshop, was demolished. The traffic police authorities were told to demolish/remove the remaining part of the structure.

However, soon after the partial demolition, traffic police personnel came out of their office and caught hold of the HMC director and seven of his subordinates — Waheed, Nasir, Imran, Faisal, Javed, Rashid and Usman. They detained people were taken to the Fort police station.

According to Mr Ahmed, the cell personnel were not only manhandled but also kept in the lockup along with suspected criminals.

He alleged that the traffic police intended to develop the unauthorised space as a shop.

Acting Mayor Sohail Mashhadi visited the Fort police station to ascertain the facts. He was informed by the traffic police officers that they were not served any notice in advance for the demolition of the structure.

He argued that “if our staff is detained and manhandled for taking legal action, and that too by police, then how will they be able to discharge their duties?”.

City DSP Ayoub Durrani also arrived at the police station and heard grievances of the HMC staff. After negotiations with the acting mayor, he ordered release of the detained people, who insisted on lodging an FIR against the errant traffic police personnel but the matter was settled “amicably”.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2019