Wrongful challan: Police, rickshaw drivers clash in Sherakot
Driver threatens to kill himself after climbing up a transmission tower.
LAHORE:
It all started with a rickshaw driver who climbed up a pylon to protest what he called “excessive challans” by the police. It ended with a warden being suspended and hours of running battle between the police and protesting rickshaw drivers.
At least one man was injured.
Around 1pm on Friday, a rickshaw driver identified as Mazhar climbed up a pylon in Sherakot threatening to commit suicide. He said he was fed up with the traffic police who kept on issuing him tickets for presumed violations. “I can’t pay these fines anymore,” he said.
A resident of the area climbed up after him to persuade him to come down. Even though Mazhar agreed to climb down, other rickshaw drivers climbed up after him to register their protest too.
The Lahore Electric Supply Company suspended electricity supply to the area in the afternoon after dozens of people had climbed up the pylon.
Traffic remained block around the Babu Sabu Interchange for more than four hours.
Curious onlookers too gathered at the base of the pylon, resulting in a huge crowd. According to the police, when officials reached the spot to talk to Mazhar, “more than a dozen men” started pelting the police with stones. The police retaliated with a baton-charge.
Members of the Rickshaw Drivers’ Union also arrived soon after, said police officials. The union members damaged several vehicles that were passing through by pelting them with stones.
After the police’s attempt to disperse the crowd failed, Chief Traffic Officer Sarfaraz Falki came over to pacify the angry protesters. However, the angry rickshaw drivers were in no mood to listen and some of them hurled shoes at him. The CTO retreated but returned with more police force after about three hours.
Police then fired some shots in the air to disperse the crowd. Some of the protesters, who allegedly had “sophisticated” weapons also fired shots in reply. The police and protesters kept hurling abuses at each other. Several policemen were injured by stones thrown by the protesters. Some officials were caught by the mob and beaten up.
It was after 6pm, following MPA Khwaja Imran Nazir and SSP (Operations) Sajjad Manj’s negotiations with the crowd, that the standoff ended.
The SSP announced that they would withdraw the tickets issued to the rickshaw driver.
Some protesters lifted Mazhar on their shoulders when he climbed down and chanted slogans, calling him a “hero”. Mazhar told reporters that the traffic warden who had issued him the ticket had also slapped him. Mazhar claimed that the warden had issued him three tickets over the last few days. “I had told him that I would jump under a car if he issued me another ticket. Today he gave me another and reminded me of my words,” said Mazhar. He claimed that he had not violated any traffic rules but had been given tickets nevertheless.
The CTO announced that he would suspend the warden who had slapped him.
SSP Nazir said that the protesters who had fired would be arrested.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 17th, 2012.
It all started with a rickshaw driver who climbed up a pylon to protest what he called “excessive challans” by the police. It ended with a warden being suspended and hours of running battle between the police and protesting rickshaw drivers.
At least one man was injured.
Around 1pm on Friday, a rickshaw driver identified as Mazhar climbed up a pylon in Sherakot threatening to commit suicide. He said he was fed up with the traffic police who kept on issuing him tickets for presumed violations. “I can’t pay these fines anymore,” he said.
A resident of the area climbed up after him to persuade him to come down. Even though Mazhar agreed to climb down, other rickshaw drivers climbed up after him to register their protest too.
The Lahore Electric Supply Company suspended electricity supply to the area in the afternoon after dozens of people had climbed up the pylon.
Traffic remained block around the Babu Sabu Interchange for more than four hours.
Curious onlookers too gathered at the base of the pylon, resulting in a huge crowd. According to the police, when officials reached the spot to talk to Mazhar, “more than a dozen men” started pelting the police with stones. The police retaliated with a baton-charge.
Members of the Rickshaw Drivers’ Union also arrived soon after, said police officials. The union members damaged several vehicles that were passing through by pelting them with stones.
After the police’s attempt to disperse the crowd failed, Chief Traffic Officer Sarfaraz Falki came over to pacify the angry protesters. However, the angry rickshaw drivers were in no mood to listen and some of them hurled shoes at him. The CTO retreated but returned with more police force after about three hours.
Police then fired some shots in the air to disperse the crowd. Some of the protesters, who allegedly had “sophisticated” weapons also fired shots in reply. The police and protesters kept hurling abuses at each other. Several policemen were injured by stones thrown by the protesters. Some officials were caught by the mob and beaten up.
It was after 6pm, following MPA Khwaja Imran Nazir and SSP (Operations) Sajjad Manj’s negotiations with the crowd, that the standoff ended.
The SSP announced that they would withdraw the tickets issued to the rickshaw driver.
Some protesters lifted Mazhar on their shoulders when he climbed down and chanted slogans, calling him a “hero”. Mazhar told reporters that the traffic warden who had issued him the ticket had also slapped him. Mazhar claimed that the warden had issued him three tickets over the last few days. “I had told him that I would jump under a car if he issued me another ticket. Today he gave me another and reminded me of my words,” said Mazhar. He claimed that he had not violated any traffic rules but had been given tickets nevertheless.
The CTO announced that he would suspend the warden who had slapped him.
SSP Nazir said that the protesters who had fired would be arrested.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 17th, 2012.