SAHIWAL, June 5 The Ghala Mandi police booked on Thursday night around 200 potato growers for creating law and order problem by blocking Multan Road and pelting police with stones during demonstrations at Arifwala Chowk and Pakpattan Chowk in which the station house officer also received injuries.

Chaudhry Shahid Pervaiz, the president of Anjuman Kashrkarn who led the Thursday's protest, is the prime suspect. However, no arrest has been made so far.

The negotiations between District Nazim Rai Hasan Nawaz and the potato growers scheduled for Friday could not be held after the growers apprehending their arrest did not meet the nazim.

The growers are protesting against cold storage owners for increasing the rents and a dispute is pending adjudication with the district consumer protection council.

Though the district nazim succeeded by Thursday noon in persuading the growers to abandon their protest and start negotiations instead, the situation took a twist in the evening when the police booked Pervaiz and 200 other protestors under Section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) and sections 324, 353, 341, 186, 427, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

SHO Abdul Rasheed denied that the case was registered on the instructions of some high-ups. “This is purely a police matter as the demonstrators broke the law,” he alleged.

Disappointed by the registration of the FIR, the district nazim told Dawn on Friday he would continue persuading both the parties to solve the matter through a dialogue.

Dawn learned from sources that DCO Muhammad Khan Khichi has also called the potato growers to meet him in his office on Saturday (today). However, the growers have demanded withdrawal of the case before starting negotiations with the local administration.

“How can we go for negotiations when we all are booked under Section 16 of the MPO? I fear they will arrest us in the name of negotiations,” Pervaiz told Dawn by telephone.

On the other hand, the nazim hoped no arrest would be made and the matter would be resolved amicably.