KARACHI: Police on Wednesday registered a criminal case under anti-terror law against the SHO and other officials of the Gulistan-i-Jauhar police station for their involvement in manhandling lawyers by resorting to baton charge and aerial firing to disperse their protest demonstration on Tuesday night.The police have invoked Sections 147 (Punishment for rioting), 148 (Rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (Unlawful Assembly), 339 (Wrongful restraint), 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation), 349 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (Attempted murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 against the SHO, staff and private persons.

However, so far, no one has been arrested.

Karachi Bar Association (KBA) President Aamir Nawaz Waraich called for the immediate arrest of the SHO of Gulistan-i-Jauhar and other individuals involved in the incident.

Speaking to Dawn on Wednesday, Advocate Waraich expressed concernthat those named in the FIR, including the SHO, had not yet been arrested. He demanded their immediate arrest and to produce them before the court of law.

It all began when Advocate Qadir Bux Rajpar had gone to the Gulistan-i-Jauhar police station with an order of a local court for the release of an impounded vehicle of his client. However, an argument took place between him and SHO Raja Tanveer who locked him up, according to police, lawyers and witnesses.

Subsequently, they added, several lawyers and law students rushed to the spot and staged a protest, after which, the police allegedly resorted to firing and baton-charged them too. Three advocates, including Qadir, and four policemen were injured in the incident.Meanwhile, a police spokesperson in a statement said that during an initial probe, evidence had emerged against the SHO. Thus, he had been suspended and an FIR had been lodged against him for legal proceedings.

According to the contents of the FIR, complainant Qadir Bux Rajpar said that the SHO, his staff and the SHO`s over 20 private persons beat him and other lawyers. They were baton charged by the police while firing was also carried out against them. As a result, several lawyers were injured.

The FIR said the SHO, while violating his legal limits, committed an act of terrorism and attempted to kill the lawyer, put him in illegal detention and created fear and chaos.