OKARA, Dec 23 Lawyers have been sticking to their strike for the last 12 days demanding transfer of the district police officer (DPO) for he allegedly abetted college students to vandalise lawyers' chamber in Deepalpur. Police, however, dismiss the allegation.

The lawyers went on strike when on Dec 12 Deepalpur college students damaged a lawyer's car. In return, lawyers got registered cases against 200 students. On Dec 16, the students struck back and damaged lawyers' chambers.

The strike has left thousands of litigants stranded between courts and chambers besides bringing economic hardships for lawyers.

Three days ago, District Coordination Officer Ali Jan Khan met the office bearers of Deepalpur Bar and asked them to listen to DPO Bilal Siddique Kamyana and that a judicial inquiry would be launched into to the Dec 16 incident.

Lawyers, however, refused to meet the DPO and insisted on his immediate transfer from the district. Mr Kamyana had met the lawyers on Dec 15 and promised compensation for the car damage. But the very next day students ransacked chambers which created a confrontation between the police and lawyers.

Also, Member of the Provincial Assembly Mian Muhammad Moeen Wattoo and Malik Nazar Farid Khokhar managed a reconciliation between students and lawyers.

ROAD ACCIDENT Muhammad Saleem died while his son, Mannan, was injured when their motorcycle collided with a wagon on Okara-Faisalabad Road.

Mannan was shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital.