MANDI BAHAUDDIN, Aug 29: Traders on Wednesday observed a complete shutter down and staged a demonstration to protest against the former head of the district bar association and his 25 armed accomplices for subjecting over a dozen shopkeepers to torture and damaging their shops.

Following the incident, city trades closed down their shops and staged a massive protest demonstration. They were chanting slogans against the former head of the DBA for resorting to violence.

They appealed to the Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to take notice of the incident and bring the culprits to justice.

Mandi Bahauddin Anjuman Tajran president Dewan Moeez Ullah informed city police lawyer Ghulam Ali Sahi and his son Imran Sahi thrashed a poor rickshaw driver for asking them to park their car somewhere else as it was blocking a busy road in the Saddar Bazaar on Tuesday evening.

As some of the shopkeepers tried to pacify the lawyer, he got further enraged and used abusive language against them. He then called some two dozen armed men who subjected the shopkeepers to torture and damaged their shops.

The police have launched an FIR (No 401) under sections 440, 379, 148, 149, 506 PPC against the lawyer, his son and 25 others.

OUTAGE: Power remained suspended for about 12 hours in the city on the eve of Shab-i-barat.