FAISALABAD: Employees of the regional tax office and lawyers thrashed each other on Monday at the local Federal Board of Revenue office over the dispute of entrance to the tax bar office.

The RTO employees said the lawyers had allegedly thrashed two commissioners and as manysecurityguardsandransacked the office property.

On the other hand, lawyers said the RTO employees had detained their colleagues for more than an hour, smashed the windowpanes of the barroom and ransacked books, computers and furniture even in the presence of police.

Both sides have submitted their applications to the Civil Lines Police for registration of cases under Anti-Terrorism Act.

Sources told Dawn that a barroom for the lawyers dealing with tax related issues had been set up at the RTO about 10 years ago. The incumbent RTO officials were not feeling comfortable with the entryof the lawyers. They said the RTO officials had time and again asked the lawyers that barroom entrance gate was a security threat to the officers as visitors had to pass in front of the chief commissioner office.

They said the lawyers had objected to the decision and obtained a stay order from a civil court. They said a copy of the stay had also been given to the RTO officers.

Tax bar association former president Syed Iftikhar Arshad talking to this correspondent said the RTO officials on Monday forcibly closed the entrance of the barroom, causing a great deal ofinconvenience to lawyers.

He said lawyers could not reach the barroom as the new gate installed at the cycle stand was submerged by rain water on Monday.

He said the lawyers had visited Chief Commissioner Tasneem Rehman with a request to follow the court direction. He said the RTO officials had allegedly used harsh language with lawyers.

Sources said the lawyers allegedly used abusive language, thrashed Commissioner (zone-I) Nasir Khan, Additional Commissioner (headquarters) Sajjad Amjad and two security guards. The lawyers also smashedthe windowpanes of different offices and ransacked furniture.

Both sides thrashed each other.

After the incident, the barroom has been sealed and footages of the security cameras installed inside the RTO will be collected as a proof to be submitted to police for registration of a case against lawyers, sources said.

District Bar Association former president Tanvirur Rehman Randhawa said the RTO officials had allegedly detained 12 to 14 lawyers and ransacked the barroom. He said the chief commissioner and her subordinates had mishandled the issue as they treated lawyers as culprits.