About 12 persons were injured some of them seriously when traders of Aabpara Market blocking road to protest against DMA anti-encroachment drive scuffled with ICT Police here on Monday.
Police resorted to baton charge and tear gas to disperse the traders staging peaceful demonstration at the busiest chowk of federal capital in the evening.
The brawl between the police and traders started at that time when they were protesting against the anti encroachment operation of Directorate of Municipal Administration in the busy shopping centre of Aabpara, eyewitnesses said.
However, police said the situation took ugly turn when traders refused to open the main Aabpara road where they burnt tyres to block the road.
Most of the journalists and photographers were beaten by the angry police personnel, which barred them to cover the event.
A trader who did not want to be named said that that we were on our routine work when a huge contingent of police raided our shops and beaten us badly.
Police contingent raided the shopping centre and forced the traders to close down their shops. On their (traders) refusal, police attacked the shops and started beating them inhumanly, leaving many severely injured.
Police also picked up more than ten traders of Aabpara Market and negotiations were underway for their release till filing of this report.
Earlier, the traders of the federal capital staged a demonstration against the crackdown launched by the DMA here in front of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) head office.
The demonstrators carrying banners and play cards in their hands chanted slogans against the Interior Minister Fasial Saleh Hayat for his anti-trader policies.
The demonstration started from the fire brigade office and ended in front of head office of the authority.
The vice president of the trader's welfare association, Tajwer Abbasi while addressing the demonstration said that we would continue our protest until the resignation of Interior Minister.
He demanded of CDA to stop the illegal operation and return the luggage snatched during the anti encroachment drive.
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