GUJRANWALA, June 13: The Anti-Terrorism Court No 1 declined on Friday to grant physical remand of the 20 MMA activists, including the Jamaat-i-Islami naib amir, who were arrested by the Sabzi Mandi police a week ago on the charge of torching a circus. They were sent to jail on a judicial remand.

The police claimed in court to have seized 20 clubs and an empty petrol gallon from the accused, and sought their physical remand.

Rejecting the plea, the court ordered the police to send the accused to jail on a judicial remand. The court adjourned the case till Saturday (today).

Meanwhile, activists of the Jamaat-i-Islami and Shabab-i-Milli have demanded that their leader Hafiz Hameeduddin Awan and other colleagues should be set free without delay.

During a meeting, they threatened that they would take to streets if their colleagues were not freed.

Meanwhil, activists of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) took out a protest demonstration against the obscenity and the arrest of their colleagues.

Led by MNA Maulana Qazi Hamidullah, district president Hafiz Hamid Akhtar and JI amir Allama Obaidul Rehman Madni, the protesters demanded that all the arrested activists of MMA should be released forthwith.

The protesters carrying banners and placards chanted slogans against the government. Starting from the MMA city office on the Sialkot Road, they marched through various city roads and terminated the procession at district courts. The speakers warned the government that obscenity would not be tolerated at any cost. Later, they dispersed peacefully. However, a heavy police contingent remained on the alert to meet any untoward incident.