MUZAFFARGARH, Jan 26: Dozens of poor families on Monday staged a protest at the DPO office against implication of a 70-year-old man in a case of attempted murder after he refused to withdraw case against the alleged killers of his son.

Ghulam Haider of Rohallanwali town told Dawn his son Abdul Rehman, 38, had a petty dispute with Sajjad Hussain over a lost mobile phone. He alleged Sajjad and his brother Javed took his son with them on Nov 30, 2008, and murdered him near Chenab bridge, throwing the body in the river. Next day some divers fished out the body from the river.

Haider said he got a case registered against the accused with Rohallanwali police and they were arrested.

However, he said the police later released the accused. After two months of their release, he said, the police informed his family that he was wanted in a case of attempted murder.

He said the police and the accused party were forcing his family to withdraw the case and offering one million rupee and two visas of UAE in compensation.

He said he only wanted justice, adding if the accused were not arrested he would go to Punjab IG and chief minister to seek their help.

Rohallanwali SHO Riaz Bukhari admitted he was facing political pressure in favour of the accused party.

Firing: Hundreds of students and their parents on Monday protested against police for not arresting those involved in firing on a private boarding school, blocking the main Dera Ghazi Khan-Multan Road at Chowk Karam Dad Qureshi, some 22 kilometres from here.

Sources said two days ago some outlaws opened indiscriminate fire at the boarding school, Zikriya Academy, where girls and boys were residing, but police concerned did not take any action against the accused.Academy principal said some local outlaws were involved in the incident as they wanted to ‘harass’ the girl boarders. He said he had registered a case with Chowk Qureshi police station, but the police did not arrest the accused.

SHO Jan Muhammad claimed main accused Kala Tharie had been arrested while police were trying to nab his accomplices.

The protesters, who later dispersed, warned if the remaining accused were not arrested they would again block the road.