NOWSHEHRA, Dec 27: The police resorted to baton-charge to disperse a group of drivers who blocked the G.T. Road on Friday to protest against the arrest of five of their colleagues.

After a clash between the employees of a bus stand contractor, Niaz Mohammad alias Gula Jan, the police arrested Niaz Mohammad, Zahir Shah, Humayun Shah, Riaz and Imran and took them to a local police station.

This infuriated the bus and rickshaw drivers who parked their vehicles on the G.T. Road in protest, suspending all vehicular traffic.

Owing to the presence of the top military brass in the city, the police used force to clear the road.

According to reports, the traffic police misbehaved with a rickshaw driver at the entry point of the bus-stand which led to a brawl between Niaz Mohammad and a sub-inspector Yar Mohammad. One of the drivers hit Yar Mohammad on his head, while other policemen fled the spot.

Yar Mohammad informed the police high-ups about the incident. An ASP along with a heavy contingent rushed to the scene and arrested five of the strikers under sections 324, 353, 341, 149, 148 and 23-D and put them behind the bars.

According to some reports, local leaders of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam and Jamaat-i-Islami were trying to solve the issue by pressing the police to withdraw the FIR against the drivers.