LAHORE: A number of people lodged a vociferous protest on Friday against the Mughalpura police for “arresting and beating up” a prayer leader just before Friday prayers.

The charged people blocked Shalimar Link Road to traffic and shouted slogans against the Mughalpura station house officer for thrashing the prayer leader of Jamia Masjid on the pretext of a drive against misuse of loudspeaker.

Witnesses said scores of people missed Friday prayers when Mughalpura SHO Adnan Rasheed arrested prayer leader Qari Abid Faisal who was ready for sermon. They alleged the SHO, along with other policemen, thrashed Qari Faisal in the presence of scores of people who had arrived there for prayers. They later bundled the prayer leader into the police van amid protest by the locals.

The incident sparked anger among the locals who hit out at the police, saying there’s no justification of arresting the prayer leader. The situation remained tense as the protesters wanted to besiege the police station for humiliating the prayer leader. The traffic remained suspended for hours on one of the busiest roads.

Meanwhile, Mughalpura Circle DSP Abdul Qayyum Gondal and SHOs of other police stations reached there and held negotiations with the protesters. The DSP during preliminary inquiry held the Mughalpura SHO guilty and released Qari Faisal.

The protesters dispersed giving a deadline of 24 hours to suspend the SHO and warned that they would besiege the office of the DIG if strict disciplinary action was not taken against him for misuse of authority.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2015

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