RAWALPINDI - Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) Cantonment Executive Officer (CEO) Rana Manzoor and his staffers on Wednesday mercilessly beat the former Speaker Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Raja Israr Abbasi Advocate, his brother Raja Riaz Abbasi Advocate and a nephew over the issue of vacation of a canteen at Odeon Cinema, which is adjacent to their offices.
Earlier, Rana and his team thrashed police officials of RA Bazaar some months ago but no action was taken against him by the higher authorities.
According to information gathered from different corners on Wednesday afternoon, Raja Israr Abbasi Advocate and his brother Raja Riaz Abbasi Advocate visited the office of RCB CEO Rana Manzoor Ahmed Khan to produce the stay order of the court before him for vacation of canteen at Odeon Cinema.
On this, an exchange of hot words occurred between the two parties which later turned into a quarrel. Rana Mazoor called his staffers and started beating the lawyers with kicks, punches and chairs. According to Raja Israr Abbasi Advocate, Rana snatched his mobile phone and cash, besides thrashing him and his brother.
Soon after getting freedom from the clutches of Rana and his staffers, the victim lawyers immediately called the electronic and print media and showed their wounds. They also filed an application with Police Station (PS) RA Bazaar against RCB CEO and his men for torturing the lawyers and snatching their valuables.
The news of torture on lawyers spread in the city like jungle fire as hundreds of lawyers gathered at RCB Office and staged a protest against the RCB officials by blocking The Mall, triggering a massive traffic block in the whole city.
Meanwhile, police, on the complaint of victims, filed a case against Rana Manzoor and four of his staffers.
Talking to TheNation, Raja Israr Abbasi said that the RCB personnel had thrashed him and his brother and nephew who went to cantonment offices over the issue of vacation notice on the directions of RCB Cantonment Executive Officer Rana Manzoor Ahmed Khan.
He said that he approached police for filing a case against Rana Manzoor and his gang for physical assault. He said that the RCB officials refused to accept the court orders.
District Bar Association (DBA) President Malik Israr-ul-Haq while talking to media men vehemently condemned the incident and demanded the removal of the RCB senior official for misbehaving with the lawyers who showed court orders to him.
“We will observe strike in all the district courts of the province and the protest will continue till the acceptance of lawyers’ demand,” he said.
Rana Manzoor, when contacted, said that he invited the rentee of canteen of the cinema in connection with the vacation of the said canteen and stay obtained by him from civil court. He said that the advocates started making noise in his office.
He said that on hearing the noise inside the office, the staff came inside the office and requested the advocate to leave the office but along with two compliances physically assaulted the staff and hurled abuses at them and three staff members got injuries. The CEO said that complaint against the lawyers and their compliance had been registered with Police Station RA Bazaar. Rana was of view that the behavior of the lawyer was totally unbecoming of professional, attacking physically the RCB staff while performing official duties was not expected and could not be allowed.
Station House Officer (SHO) PS RA Bazaar Arif Gondal told that a case under sections 342, 147, 148 and 382 has been registered against RCB CEO Rana Manzoor and four of his accomplices on the complaint of Raja Israr Abbasi. Police teams have been formed who were conducting raids to arrest the culprits.