GUJRAT, Sept 19 Although police have so far failed to arrest any of the accused lawyers involved in a lynching case of a marble trader, they have 'stepped up their efforts' to arrest the accused after the chief justice of Pakistan took a suo motu notice of the incident. The Gujrat district bar association has also swung into action and suspended the membership of accused lawyers Nadeem Tahir and Naeem Sandhu and reiterated its sympathies with the aggrieved family.

A delegation of the Gujrat marble dealers association also called on DBA president Badar Warraich and Gujrat DPO Afzaal Kausar separately and urged them to play their role for justice in the case.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had on Saturday ordered the Punjab IGP to appear before him on Sept 24 with a relevant record of the lynching case of marble trader Tariq Mehmood.

Mr Mehmood of Gujrat's Looran village was bludgeoned to death allegedly by lawyers Nadeem Tahir, Naeem Sandhu and their three unidentified accomplices in Mehmda Chowk on Bhimbher Road on Thursday over a minor traffic row in the alleged presence of police officials.

Later, residents and relatives of the deceased had blocked the Bhimbher Road for more than five hours in protest.

Salim Sarwar, the complainant and deceased's brother, had announced the blockade of the GT Road if the police failed to arrest murderers till Saturday, but area notables extended the deadline for a few more days after police high-ups assured them the arrest of the accused.

Sources said the police again resorted to its traditional tactics of hiding facts to save its officials blamed for showing negligence in handling the issue despite reaching the spot during the brawl.

The police said the initial investigation showed that six policemen, who were accused of negligence, were not found as much responsible for the incident as was being painted by witnesses and heirs of the deceased.