MULTAN, May 6: The Okara police have registered cases against more than 80 tenants of Okara military farms under various laws including the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 on charges of rioting and attacking people and law-enforcement agents.

The police registered these cases in the wake of the incident on Monday when police and the Rangers allegedly baton-charged and opened fire on a gathering of tenants who were holding a sit-in near the GT Road to press for the release of around nine tenants.

Several protesters sustained injuries in the incident. Five of those taken away by law-enforcement agents were women, and their families were clueless as to their whereabouts even on Tuesday evening.

One of the tenants, Lateef Chaudhry, sustained bullet injuries, and is being treated privately. He is the brother of Anjuman Mazareen Punjab Okara zone president Ghani Javed.

None of the law-enforcement agents was injured, but the police registered cases against tenants nonetheless. One has been registered on the report of DSP Aurangzeb under Sections 324, 353, 148, 149, 186, 120-B PPC and 7-ATA, 1997, against as many as 47 tenants.

Another was registered on the report of coachman John Masih against some 16 nominated and 30 unidentified tenants under Sections 324, 353, 186, 120-B, 148, 149 and 16-MPO. Among the accused are AMP chief organizer Javed Anwar Dogar and president Khusi Mohammad Dola, who were in Lahore on Monday to appear before an anti-terrorism court. Mr Dogar also addressed a press conference at the Lahore Press Club on the same day.

The law-enforcement authorities had also arrested three teachers of boys primary school, sources said. They are Bin Yamin Masih, Anwar Masih and Nazeer Ahmed. The boys primary school, the boys high school and the girls elementary school remained closed on Tuesday.

The authorities also rounded up Babar Masih and Kala Masih, resident of Chak 9/4L, who were returning to their villages on Monday night after a sit-in had been called off on the assurance of Okara DPO Aslam Tareen that the arrested nine would be released on Tuesday.

However, the authorities consumed the whole Tuesday in negotiations with the tenants, who were represented by Mukhtar Masih. The negotiations were held in the presence of Okara tehsil Nazim Nadeem Abbas Rabeera and Rangers Col Saleem. The dialogue remained inconclusive and was put off for Wednesday.

The tenants are demanding release of the arrested people while the authorities are pressurising them into accepting the status of lessees.

Meanwhile, the Okara AMP has convened an emergency meeting of all its units on Wednesday to decide the future course of action in case the authorities refuse to accept their demand.