Karachi police resort to baton charge, aerial firing to disperse TLP protesters near Tower

Karachi police resorted to baton charges and aerial firing on Friday when Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) workers attempted to move towards the Central Police Office near Tower to register their protest.

The TLP workers had organised the protest for police not lodging a first information report (FIR) against the organisers of the minority march at Frere Hall for allegedly spreading “fake” propaganda against section 295(c) (use of derogatory remarks, etc., in respect of the Holy Prophet (PBUH)) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

City Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Arif Aziz told Dawn.com that the police resorted to baton charges and aerial firing to disperse the protestors as they allegedly attacked police personnel, injuring many and misbehaving with them.

A statement from the City police spokesperson said the protesters pelted stones at the SSP Aziz’s vehicle and injured several officers of the force.

Aziz said police contingents led by him and Keamari SSP Faizan Ali prevented the protesters from moving towards the Sindh inspector general of police’s (IGP) office after several of them reached Tower,

SSP Aziz added that the TLP supporters initially wanted to express their “reservations” against the Minority Rights March at Frere Hall, but later increased their demands and said that no objection certificate for such marches should be allowed.

He said that some protesters were also taken into custody.

However, TLP spokesperson Rehan Mohammed Khan told Dawn.com that the workers wanted to hold peaceful protests outside the IGP office for the last 12 days because the police were not entertaining their application for lodging an FIR against the organisers of the Minority Rights March.

He said they had announced that they would hold a demonstration if the FIR was not registered within 48 hours.

The TLP spokesperson accused the police of resorting to baton charges, aerial firing and shelling on their workers, resulting in injuries to some workers and the arrest of others.

Later on, the TLP spokesperson said the group ended its protest after the detained workers were released by the police.

South Deputy Inspector General of Police Syed Asad Raza also said the TLP workers wanted to lodge an FIR against the protestors of the Minority Rights March but were denied.

He said that several TLP workers were arrested during the protests as they attacked police vehicles and injured a few policemen.

Raza said that the protesters dispersed after assuring the police that they would not undertake such unlawful protests.