DPO transferred over attack on judge

Mandi Bahauddin District Police Officer (DPO) Sajid Hussain Khokhar has been transferred after a reported incident of torture on a district and sessions judge by lawyers. Under the order by Inspector General Rao Sardar Ali Khan, SP Investigations Anwar Saed Tahir has been given the additional charge of DPO. The decision reportedly has been taken after police failed to maintain law and order in the court when a group of lawyers allegedly attacked District and Sessions Judge Abdul Jabbar. When the lawyers attacked the judge, the police were missing and they responded late when he asked for help. The judge had handed down three-month imprisonment to Deputy Commissioner Tariq Basra and Assistant Commissioner Imtiaz Ali Baig in a contempt of court case. He had also issued orders to take the officers to Gujrat Jail. However, the police shifted them to the DC House. The judge had also issued a notice to the president of Mandi Bahauddin bar who was representing the DC and AC. Reportedly, he had exchanged harsh words with the judge. A group of lawyers enraged over the order gathered before the judge. According to an FIR lodged by D&SJ Abdul Jabbar, he was sitting in his court when a group of lawyers including the local bar association’s general secretary Yasir Arfat, Muteeur Rehman Ranjha, Aurangzeb Gondal and Zeeshan Gondal approached him. They told him that they were annoyed over action against the DC, AC, litigation officer and president of the bar association, urging him to annul the proceedings. Abdul Jabbar said he told the lawyers that  he could not do so and hearing of the case was not scheduled. The lawyers were infuriated. They jumped to the court rostrum, hurled abuses, tortured him and detained him in the chamber. They also allegedly dragged him out of the courtroom towards his car and threatened to kill him if he did not leave. The judge stated in the FIR that the humiliation and torture had been caused at the behest of the officials and bar leader. Published in The Express Tribune, December 2nd, 2021.

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