A Karachi court granted pre-arrest bails to a prayer leader and two members of the mosque administration committee, booked in a case pertaining to an alleged attack on a female police official, who attempted to implement government restrictions on Friday congregations in Orangi Town last week.

Haqqani Jamia Masjid’s prayer leader, Abdul Rehman, as well as two mosque administrative committee members were booked along with 20 to 25 others for allegedly inciting violence, attacking the cops and violating the ban on religious congregations put in place to control spread of the coronavirus.

The crowd had allegedly attacked the police officers with stones resulting in injuries to the newly appointed SHO of the Pirabad police station Sharafat Khan, an intelligence police officer Hayat Gul and Constable Abdul Salam.

According to Orangi SP Shabbir Baloch, around 30 people were on their way to the Haqqani Masjid near a mazaar in Frontier Colony to offer Friday prayers followed by other people when a police party tried to stop them. The mob had allegedly pelted the police with stones. As a result, the female SHO suffered bruises on her nose, Baloch had added.

On Tuesday, the mosque’s prayer leader Abdul Rehan along with the administrative committee’s president and secretary — Moulana Qavi Khan and Moulana Zareen Khan — moved applications before the ATC-II judge, seeking grant of pre-arrest bails to prevent their arrest in the case.

The applicants denied the allegations of having incited the worshipers to attack the police officials and pleaded for bail.

The judge granted interim pre-arrest bails against a surety of Rs50,000 to each applicant till April 18.

A case was registered under Sections 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 147 (rioting), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 324 (attempt to murder), 337-A(i) (shajjah-i-khafifah), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with the Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at the Peerabad police station.