Encroachment: Lawyers attack DCO’s office over demolition
DCO says complaint lodged against seven Sheikhupura Bar Association members for damaging official property.
SHEIKHUPURA:
Several members of the Sheikhupura Bar Association on Monday attacked the offices of the district coordination officer, the district officer (Revenue) and the executive district officer (Revenue), after Revenue Department officials demolished 20 chambers built illegally on the Kutchery Road.
The lawyers also faced off with a police team, throwing bricks and stones at them. Most of them fled from the scene after the police retaliated and charged them with batons.
Later, several lawyers staged a protest against the police, chanting slogans accusing them of unnecessary violence.
Muhammad Nawaz, a record-keeper at the district courts, said he was an eye witness to the clashes. He said that the police did not use excessive force on the lawyers. He said the police only ran after them to keep them away from the district administration offices.
“None of them was hit by the police. They faked injuries and put on false bandages on their heads and arms,” he said.
He said the lawyers threw the furniture out of the DCO’s and Revenue Department’s offices. “They broke several window-panes and doors. It seemed that they had planned the attack well in advance,” he said.
Talking to The Express Tribune, DCO Ali Sarfaraz said he had lodged a complaint with the B-Division police station. He said he had named seven members of the Sheikhupura Bar Association.
Sarfaraz said the items damaged by the lawyers were worth more than Rs1.4 million. These, he said, included desktop computers, a laptop, a photocopy machine, several fax machines, furniture, tube lights, clocks, curtains, doors and window-panes.
He said the lawyers did not even spare the copies of Holy Quran. “Besides, the revenue record, they removed some copies of the Holy Quran from cupboards and threw them to the ground,” he said. He alleged that they tore the national flag and a portrait of the Quaid-i-Azam that hung behind his seat.
He alleged that a group of lawyers had beaten up four officials of the Tehsil Municipal Administration sent to warn them against moving ahead with the construction of chambers.
The DCO said during a week-long dialogue the administration had made it clear to the lawyers the construction was illegal and that they should not go ahead with it. “I had assured them that I would soon forward a summary to acquire a plot and would let them construct the chambers over there,” he said.
Executive district officer (Revenue) Chaudary Adnan Arshad Aulakh led the demolition operation. He told the Tribune that the chambers had been built on a public road. He said the lawyers were issued several warnings but they did not comply.
Sheikhupura Bar Association Secretary General Khawar Saleemi denied that the chambers were encroachments. “Lawyers intended to build 36 chambers which the district administration did not allow,” he said. He said that the administration and the lawyers then reached an agreement allowing them to build 20 chambers. On Sunday night, however, the administration started bulldozing the chambers, he added. He alleged that the officials had seized building material worth more than Rs0.7 million.
He also rejected the suggestions that the lawyers had attacked the offices of the district administration. He said they were peacefully marching towards the DCO’s office when the police appeared on the scene and started beating them. He claimed that seven lawyers were seriously injured in the baton charge.
He said that several revenue officials, already present at the Kutchery Road, attacked a group of lawyers who had come to monitor the construction work.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 11th, 2011.
Several members of the Sheikhupura Bar Association on Monday attacked the offices of the district coordination officer, the district officer (Revenue) and the executive district officer (Revenue), after Revenue Department officials demolished 20 chambers built illegally on the Kutchery Road.
The lawyers also faced off with a police team, throwing bricks and stones at them. Most of them fled from the scene after the police retaliated and charged them with batons.
Later, several lawyers staged a protest against the police, chanting slogans accusing them of unnecessary violence.
Muhammad Nawaz, a record-keeper at the district courts, said he was an eye witness to the clashes. He said that the police did not use excessive force on the lawyers. He said the police only ran after them to keep them away from the district administration offices.
“None of them was hit by the police. They faked injuries and put on false bandages on their heads and arms,” he said.
He said the lawyers threw the furniture out of the DCO’s and Revenue Department’s offices. “They broke several window-panes and doors. It seemed that they had planned the attack well in advance,” he said.
Talking to The Express Tribune, DCO Ali Sarfaraz said he had lodged a complaint with the B-Division police station. He said he had named seven members of the Sheikhupura Bar Association.
Sarfaraz said the items damaged by the lawyers were worth more than Rs1.4 million. These, he said, included desktop computers, a laptop, a photocopy machine, several fax machines, furniture, tube lights, clocks, curtains, doors and window-panes.
He said the lawyers did not even spare the copies of Holy Quran. “Besides, the revenue record, they removed some copies of the Holy Quran from cupboards and threw them to the ground,” he said. He alleged that they tore the national flag and a portrait of the Quaid-i-Azam that hung behind his seat.
He alleged that a group of lawyers had beaten up four officials of the Tehsil Municipal Administration sent to warn them against moving ahead with the construction of chambers.
The DCO said during a week-long dialogue the administration had made it clear to the lawyers the construction was illegal and that they should not go ahead with it. “I had assured them that I would soon forward a summary to acquire a plot and would let them construct the chambers over there,” he said.
Executive district officer (Revenue) Chaudary Adnan Arshad Aulakh led the demolition operation. He told the Tribune that the chambers had been built on a public road. He said the lawyers were issued several warnings but they did not comply.
Sheikhupura Bar Association Secretary General Khawar Saleemi denied that the chambers were encroachments. “Lawyers intended to build 36 chambers which the district administration did not allow,” he said. He said that the administration and the lawyers then reached an agreement allowing them to build 20 chambers. On Sunday night, however, the administration started bulldozing the chambers, he added. He alleged that the officials had seized building material worth more than Rs0.7 million.
He also rejected the suggestions that the lawyers had attacked the offices of the district administration. He said they were peacefully marching towards the DCO’s office when the police appeared on the scene and started beating them. He claimed that seven lawyers were seriously injured in the baton charge.
He said that several revenue officials, already present at the Kutchery Road, attacked a group of lawyers who had come to monitor the construction work.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 11th, 2011.