Dual anger: Tax officer roughed up by lawyers

Squabble started over tax refund.

LAHORE:

A group of angry lawyers from district courts manhandled Income Tax Additional Commissioner Farrukh Majeed on Monday.

Lawyers were at the additional commissioner’s office for a hearing pertaining to a tax refund when a legal issue turned into a squabble.

According to Income Tax office spokesman Khalid Ejaz Mufti, eight lawyers roughed up the officer and tried to drag him out. The lawyers were later joined by 25 other colleagues. They brought down the main entrance of the office and broke the windowpanes. They returned to Farrukh Majeed’s office on the fourth floor and told him to sign the refund papers. On the tax officer’s refusal, the lawyers again thrashed him and his colleague Ayaz Qureshi.

Police were then called in and controlled the situation.

The injured officers were taken to a nearby hospital.

An FIR was registered on the complaint of Farrukh Majeed by the Old Anarkali police under Sections 147, 186, 427 (rioting, obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions and damage to property). The police also registered an FIR against Majeed under Sections 148, 149 (armed rioting and unlawful assembly) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

In a complaint filed with the police, the lawyers stated that the tax officer had been keeping a general sales tax file with him for over two months.

They also alleged that he had been asking for a Rs20,000 bribe for his signature. When the lawyers refused to pay the bribe, they said he threatened them with death.

The CCTV footage appeared to confirm the tax official’s stance. Lahore Bar Association Secretary General Kamran Bashir Mughal said after the incident they had met the CJ who had assured them of justice.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 23^rd, 2013.