Seven injured in the clash between ‘law’ and ‘order’

GUJRANWALA: Police and lawyers had a quarrel on the sessions’ court premises after police arrested a murder accused.

A lawyer, sub inspector and five police officials were severely injured during the proceedings. According to superintendent police (SP) Malik Awais, a case has been registered against 15 people for injuring police officials outside the session’s court.

On June 15, 2010, the additional session judge Ghaffar Mehtab’s court called murder accused Asif Humayun’s lawyer, secretary bar Kosar Hussain Sundrana and witness Ijaz Ahmed to appear before the court and recorded their statements during the court proceedings.

Sessions’ judge Ghaffar Mehtab asked Ijaz Ahmed to submit his confession before the court and Ijaz alias ‘Jaju’s’ detailed confession was recorded during the proceedings.

When Ijaz left the courtroom along with his lawyer, police station Gurjakh sub inspector Atta Rasool accompanied by approximately 25 to 30 police officials surrounded them outside the court room and tried to arrest Ijaz on the spot.

The lawyers resisted Ijaz’s arrest and a brawl broke out between Ijaz’s lawyer and other lawyers who soon joined him against the police entourage.

During the ensuing brawl, a lawyer Noor Muhammad Mirza and sub inspector Attar Rasool and constables’ Muhammad Ashraf, Muhammad Aslam and Gulfam were severely injured.

On information capital police officer (CPO) Tariq Malik, SP civil line Usman Akram Gondal, SP city Awais Malik and others reached the court to break up the fight. Meanwhile, the police transferred injured officials to the district headquarters hospital for medical treatment. CPO Tariq Malik, including other officials held a meeting with session judge Kazim Raza Shamsi for more than an hour during which heavy contingents of police remained on court premises. After the meeting SP city Awais Malik told The Express Tribune that the lawyers had ‘taken the law into their own hands and had attacked and tortured police officials’.

“The lawyers think that because they wield considerable clout in the court they can openly flout the law but this is taking it too far,” Malik said.

Police officials said that such blatant violation of law would not be tolerated, adding that cases had been registered against 15 lawyers and others in civil line police station and the accused would be arrested at all costs.

On the other hand lawyer secretary bar Kosar Hussain Sundrana said the Punjab bar had taken notice of the matter and had announced a strike for on June 16, 2010.

“The police were trying to arrest a key witness in the case, no doubt to torture and get a false confession from him,” he said.  According to lawyer secretary bar Kosar Hussain Sundrana Gujranwala bar would observe complete boycott today and would fight against police oppression.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 17^th, 2010.