GUJRAT, April 3: Civil Lines police have registered a case against former DPO and other officials on the orders of the additional district and sessions judge.

AD&SJ Maqbool Ahmad Bajwa had ordered registration of a case against a number of police officials, including Gujrat former DPO Mahmoodul Hasan Qureshi and two serving DSPs, for allegedly torturing district bar association members and kidnapping the then DBA president on Dec 7, 2007.

Reports said DBA secretary-general Shamshadullah filed a petition with the court stating that DPO Mahmoodul Qureshi along with police force attacked a peaceful lawyers’ rally on the arrival of Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed (retired) on Dec 7. The police had tortured lawyers, damaged their vehicles and allegedly kidnapped the then DBA president, Tahir Sadiq Butt, the complainant said.

The judge ordered the district police to register a case against its former DPO Mahmood (now an OSD), DSP (headquarters) Siddique Awan, DSP (city) Riaz Cheema, inspectors Ghulam Jaafar Cheena, Masood Bhatti, Nasir Cheema, Mohammad Safdar, Asad Cheema, SIs Anwar, Mohammad Aslam, Waqar Ahmed and dozens of policemen involved in the incident.

DBA president Badarul Salam told this correspondent that the judge ordered registration of a case under articles 337/427, 324/365, 148/149 and 506/109. He said the bar would also get a case registered against another former DPO Raja Munawwar Husain for allegedly ransacking the DBA office during his posting here in 2004. Since then, the bar has been observing weekly strike on Thursdays against Munawwar Husain.