Street rules: Unruly transporters beat up traffic warden

Police say drivers attacked warden after he ordered them to move their wrongly parked vehicles

ISLAMABAD: A traffic cop on Sunday discovered the extent of the power wielded by private transporters in the hill resort of Murree when he was beaten up after he tried to issue tickets for wrongly parked vehicles which were blocking traffics.

Murree police officers told The Express Tribune that the driver of a Suzuki pick-up van, bearing the registration number 3114, had incorrectly parked his vehicle on a main thoroughfare in Murree near Sunny Bank Chowk.

Observing that the van was blocking traffic, traffic warden Afzaal approached the van’s driver and told him to remove his car.

When the driver did not comply, the warden — after waiting for a few minutes — demanded that the driver show him his documents so that he could issue him a ticket.

At this, the driver tried to first thwart the warden and then started beating him up. Other local drivers present on the spot also joined the driver in manhandling and beating the police officer.

Other traffic officers who tried to intervene were also beaten up by the drivers. Videos of the incident soon went viral on social media.

The Rawalpindi Chief Traffic Officer SSP Muhammad Bin Ashraf confirmed that two officials were beaten up by local drivers, adding that a case was being registered against the culprits who would be taken to task.

Murree Police said that apart from being punched, Warden Afzaal was also struck with an iron rod and received injuries to his head and face. His uniform was also torn by the drivers.

Police say local drivers often park their vans and cars incorrectly at Sunny Bank Chowk which causes traffic congestion.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6^th, 2018.