RA HIM YA R KHAN: Dozens of Old Sabzi Mandi vendors along with PPP workers protested on Wednesday against the Rahim Yar Khan Municipal Committee (MC)land branch employees who allegedly tortured one of their colleagues.

They blocked the GPO Chowk after 8pm and soon PPP divisional president Javed Iqbal Warraich and city president Safdar Kanjoo joined them.

They told reporters that more than 30 MC employees, led by land officer Sarwar and Kamran, started impounding their carts of fruit and vegetables without any notice or provocation.

They alleged majority of poor vendors had af filiations with the PPP so the action was politically motivated.

They said 80-year-old vendor Abdul Majeed was tortured by the staff for resisting the operation. They saidfour MC employees dragged the old man from Milad Chowk to Railway Chowk and handed him over to police. They added that later police picked Majeed`s son Aalamgir and grandson Asad Raza and shif ted them to A-Division police station.

They alleged a PML-N municipal committee chairman was victimising the poor vendors.

Later, PPP leaders visited the police station for the registration of a first information report against the MC staffbutthe stadonhouse ofhcerrefusedtoregisterthe case. This enraged the PPP leaders who announced a massive protest on Thursday.

The land officer said as the vendors had abused them during the operation, the staffers called the police. No one would be spared over anti-encroachment charges, he said. Correspondent