Fisticuffs: Legal fraternity thrashes two prisoners in courtroom

Witnesses say one detainee misbehaved with lawyers

RAWALPINDI: Members of the legal fraternity joined forces on Thursday to thrash two under-trial prisoners and a visitor in a courtroom.

The altercation took place after one of the prisoners used foul language against a lawyer and the two got involved in a scuffle.

Police produced Shoaib and Aamir in the court of judicial magistrate Rana Zeeshan after the Sadiqabad police had booked them for robbery in cases of keeping illicit arms and robbery. In the courtroom, Shoaib directed colourful language at a lawyer who was in the room.

Following the exchange, the two accused and a visitor, Moeed Abid, scuffled with the lawyer. As the confrontation raged on, the judge retired to his chambers.

When others lawyers saw the chaos, they also jumped into the fray and started beating the two handcuffed under-trial prisoners.

With the situation spiralling out of control, policemen locked the door from inside and stopped other lawyers from coming in. They finally managed to separate both parties. A large number of lawyers gathered outside the courtroom as news of the squabble spread.

A police official present outside the court told The Express Tribune that the fight started after Shoaib misbehaved with a lawyer. He added the suspect was facing charges of robbery, while Aamir was on trial for possession of illicit arms. After some time, district bar association president Advocate Shaukat Rauf Siddiqui arrived at the court and pacified the lawyers. Both sides decided to bury the hatchet on the spot.

However, the policeman said Shoaib threatened the lawyers again when he was shifted to the judicial lockup on court premises.

Advocate Siddiqui, on the other hand, said the mater had been resolved and the lawyers were now at ease.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 18^th, 2016.