City police may resort to baton charge and tear gas shelling if needed to disperse people protesting against power outages, a police spokesperson said on Sunday.
He was referring to a recently issued directive by City Police Officer Bilal Siddique Kamyana and SSP (Operations) Sadiq Ali Dogar to deal with violence during protests against power outages in the city.
He said the police realised that the people were suffering from long hours of power outages. “It is the right of the people to register their protest but they cannot be allowed to resort to violence and to sabotage law and order,” he said.
He said the directives authorised police to arrest people found damaging public property and causing violence.
He said 75 tear gas guns were provided to the police stations of the city to deal with the rioters.
He said the superintendents of police, the circle officers and the station house officers had been directed to first attempt to negotiate with the mobs and persuade them to disperse after registering their protests. He said force should be used only if the mob restored to violence. He said several police contingents were held on reserve to be called in emergency situations.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 18th, 2012.
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