Election duty: Teachers protest over ‘beating’ continues
Professors and Lecturers Association in Sahiwal demands transfer of returning officer.
Police say the presiding officer had tried to leave with a bag containing ballots and a ballot box. PHOTO: AFP
MULTAN:
The Professors and Lecturers Association (PLA) on Friday protested for the fifth day against a returning officer in Cheecha Watni for arresting and beating up a presiding officer.
On Friday, students from the Government College Cheecha Watni and teachers from across Sahiwal division joined the protest. Teachers and students of the Government College Cheecha Watni have not been visiting the college since May 11.
The protesters demand that the returning officer be transferred to another division.
PLA Sahiwal president Prof Abdus Salam Daula said that lecturers and professors would boycott classes all over the Punjab, if the returning officer was not transferred.
Police said Azhar Iqbal, a lecturer at the Government College Cheecha Watni, was a presiding officer on May 11 reporting to Additional Sessions Judge Pervez Ismail Joiya, the returning officer.
They said when Iqbal went to submit results from his polling station to the returning officer, he told him to wait saying he (Joiya) had to deal with the women presiding officers first.
They said Iqbal demanded that he be dealt with first and was joined by some other teachers.
Police said he was told to follow the judge’s orders, but he refused. They said Iqbal had then tried to leave with a bag containing ballots and a ballot box. They said they caught him with help from army officials. They said when Iqbal was presented before the returning officer, he again tried to flee with the ballots.
They said when the returning officer ordered the police to take the bag from him, he tried to hit the returning officer and abused him.
They said Muhammad Qureshi, the Government College Cheecha Watni principal, came over and tried to resolve the issue by tendering an apology.
Iqbal denied the allegations. He said he had not misbehaved with the returning officer. He said he had questioned the returning officer’s telling him wait since “the women presiding” officers had submitted their results after him.
He said the returning officer had then directed his guards to arrest him. He said they had detained and beaten him up.
Iqbal said the principal was told to submit a written apology.
Returning Officer Joiya said he had told Iqbal to wait so that the women presiding officers could be relieved early. He said Iqbal had misbehaved but he had accepted the apology and had let him go.
Some policemen corroborated the returning officer’s account.
Captain Farooq, deputed for the security of the office of the returning officer, said Iqbal had violated the code of conduct, but was let go on the order of the returning officer.
Since the alleged incident, protests have expanded from Cheecha Watni across the Sahiwal division. The Multan chapter of the Professors and Lecturers Association (PLA) also protested against the returning officer’s alleged behaviour on Friday.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 18th, 2013.
The Professors and Lecturers Association (PLA) on Friday protested for the fifth day against a returning officer in Cheecha Watni for arresting and beating up a presiding officer.
On Friday, students from the Government College Cheecha Watni and teachers from across Sahiwal division joined the protest. Teachers and students of the Government College Cheecha Watni have not been visiting the college since May 11.
The protesters demand that the returning officer be transferred to another division.
PLA Sahiwal president Prof Abdus Salam Daula said that lecturers and professors would boycott classes all over the Punjab, if the returning officer was not transferred.
Police said Azhar Iqbal, a lecturer at the Government College Cheecha Watni, was a presiding officer on May 11 reporting to Additional Sessions Judge Pervez Ismail Joiya, the returning officer.
They said when Iqbal went to submit results from his polling station to the returning officer, he told him to wait saying he (Joiya) had to deal with the women presiding officers first.
They said Iqbal demanded that he be dealt with first and was joined by some other teachers.
Police said he was told to follow the judge’s orders, but he refused. They said Iqbal had then tried to leave with a bag containing ballots and a ballot box. They said they caught him with help from army officials. They said when Iqbal was presented before the returning officer, he again tried to flee with the ballots.
They said when the returning officer ordered the police to take the bag from him, he tried to hit the returning officer and abused him.
They said Muhammad Qureshi, the Government College Cheecha Watni principal, came over and tried to resolve the issue by tendering an apology.
Iqbal denied the allegations. He said he had not misbehaved with the returning officer. He said he had questioned the returning officer’s telling him wait since “the women presiding” officers had submitted their results after him.
He said the returning officer had then directed his guards to arrest him. He said they had detained and beaten him up.
Iqbal said the principal was told to submit a written apology.
Returning Officer Joiya said he had told Iqbal to wait so that the women presiding officers could be relieved early. He said Iqbal had misbehaved but he had accepted the apology and had let him go.
Some policemen corroborated the returning officer’s account.
Captain Farooq, deputed for the security of the office of the returning officer, said Iqbal had violated the code of conduct, but was let go on the order of the returning officer.
Since the alleged incident, protests have expanded from Cheecha Watni across the Sahiwal division. The Multan chapter of the Professors and Lecturers Association (PLA) also protested against the returning officer’s alleged behaviour on Friday.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 18th, 2013.