Up in arms: Competing protests rock Faisalabad

Lawyers beat revenue officials, force them to leave their offices.

FAISALABAD:

Scores of people on Tuesday staged protest demonstrations in Faisalabad after the row between District Coordination Officer (DCO) Nurul Amin Mengal and some lawyers took a turn for the worse.

Several lawyers staged a protest demonstration against Mengal after Lyallpur Gymkhana belonging to the former Faisalabad Bar Association (FBA) general secretary Rana Ali Abbas was demolished on his orders. The protesters thrashed several revenue officials and forced them to leave their offices.

Scores of people gathered at Canal Road to stage a protest demonstration against the demolition.

They chanted slogans against Mengal and blocked the road by burning tyres. The demonstrators demanded action to be taken against the DCO and revenue officials. They called off the protest after one hour.

The district bar association continued its strike to protest Mengal’s ‘callous attitude.’ They accused him of victimising members of legal community.

Several lawyers led by Abbas locked several offices of the Revenue Department. These included the offices of the Saddar Assistant Commissioner and the Registry Branch. They thrashed revenue officials and forced them to leave their offices before locking them out.

Bar leaders announced on Tuesday that lawyers had decided to continue their agitation. Earlier, FBA president Tanveerur Rehman Randhawa had chaired a meeting of its executive committee.

They said lawyers would not appear in courts on Wednesday. FBA officials said the agitation would continue till Mengal and Tiwana were transferred.

They accused Mengal of instigating government officials against lawyers. Some of the FBA leaders also alleged that he was corrupt.

Hundreds of city government employees later gathered at the Zila Council Chowk to stage a protest demonstration against the lawyers. They expressed solidarity with Mengal and praised his work ethic.

Some of these workers also gathered outside the DCO’s office in support of Mengal. They also gathered at University Road and raised slogans in his support.

Separately, additional districts and sessions Judge Shahid Bashir instructed the Mansoorabad Station House Officer (SHO) Nadeem Adil to register a case against 150 people including DCO Mengal, AC Mushtaq Ahmad Tiwana, City Assistant Commissioner Shahrukh Niazi and Medina Town Municipal Officer Naeemullah Warraich. In his petition Abbas said he had constructed Lyallpur Gymkhana on Canal Road after obtaining permission from the relevant authorities.

He said Tiwana had demolished the building on Mengal’s direction.

Mansoorabad police said on Tuesday that no case had been registered against DCO Mengal, Assistant Commissioner Mushtaq Ahmad Tiwana, City Assistant Commissioner Shahrukh Niazi and Medina Town Municipal Officer Naeemullah Warraich.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, SHO Nadeem Adil said he had received no court orders to that effect. He said action would be taken on receipt of the order. Adil said Abbas had complained to the police and the complaint had been forwarded to the legal branch. He said a case would be registered after the branch gave its opinion.

Separately, officials from the office of the Saddar AC approached the regional police officer and the district police officer for registration of a case against FBA leaders and some lawyers for taking law in their own hands. They said they had ransacked offices of the Revenue Department, harassed officials and damaged official property.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24^th, 2014.