Chaos erupted during a traditional fair after police intervened to halt a dance performance by transgender persons.
According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Lundianwala police, the dance accompanied by lewd songs blaring from a sound system prompted their intervention due to a violation of decency laws.
The incident took place during the Chup Shah Sarkar annual fair in Chak 583GB.
The situation escalated when onlookers attacked the police, resulting in injuries to officials and damage to property.
Officials said the police action was met with fierce resistance from the spectators, culminating in an assault on the personnel.
Jaranwala SP Malik Abid Hussain sent reinforcements to rescue two police officials held captive by the crowd.
The area police registered a case against nine identified and numerous unidentified individuals under various charges, including kidnapping, assault and vandalism.
Despite the police's assertion of maintaining law and order, some shopkeepers from the fairground came forward with allegations of police misconduct. In a video statement, they accused local officials of extortion and unjust confiscation of goods from their shops during the melee. A shopkeeper said he had incurred significant financial losses due to the police action.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 9th, 2024.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ