CHAKWAL, June 19: Police on Tuesday booked 350 persons and arrested over 30 others on the charges of damaging public property and attacking police.

Sources told Dawn that even those who had nothing to do with the Monday’s riot were also nabbed by the police and subjected to torture.

According to police sources, the president of Merchants Association Shaikh Waqar Ali who is also an aspirant for the slot of MPA was booked along with 300 other unknown rioters by the City Police on the complaint of the officials of Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco).

Police also included section 7 of Anti Terrorism Act.

City Police raided the house of Shaikh Waqar Ali at 2am on Tuesday but could not find him in the house. However, police arrested his brother and some servants.

On the other hand Saddar Police also picked up dozens of alleged protesters belonging to Odherwal village.

The residents got furious over the raids of police and threatened to block the roads again.

However, on the intervention of PML-N MNA Ayaz Amir they were dispersed.

After negotiation with the protesters and police, it was decided to form a four-member committee which would identify those who torched police van and attacked police cops.

Talking to Dawn, the officials of Iesco expressed their serous concern over the heavy losses. “Iesco is a distribution company and not a power plant. And it has nothing to do with power shortfall,” said Aslam Khan, deputy director of Iesco.

Meanwhile, Wapda union staged a protest rally on Tuesday. The participants of the rally demanded immediate action against the rioters.

Shafiqueur Rahman, the president of the union, said besides precious transformers, furniture, metres, computers and other valuables, they torched important records.

He said that the record of pension of 300 widows was also torched.