Police on Thursday detained some 32 persons and resorted to baton charging and shelling teargas when the paramedical staff of different hospitals tried to block M A Jinnah Road to stage protest demonstration for the acceptance of their demands.
According to eye-witnesses, the protesters, who were earlier demonstrating at services hospital located in the limits of Eidgah police station, gathered at M A Jinnah Road to express resentment over non-payment of salaries, despite police warnings.
Resultantly, the law enforcers charged baton and fired teargas shells that forced the protesters to confine themselves in services hospital. Meanwhile, the protesters started pelting the law enforcers with stones from the premises of the said hospital, leaving DSP Eidgah Zahid Hussain injured.
In retaliation, the police barged into the hospital and scuffled with the protesters. The police also charged baton and fired teargas shells in the hospital that led to ransack its interior.
When contacted, ASP Preedy Ali Asif dispelled the impression that police ransacked the interior of the hospital and held the protesters responsible. He said the police had detained some 32 protesters including Niaz Bhutto from the premises of the hospital. Moreover, DSP Asif, the case has been registered against the detained persons under sections 147, 148, 149 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) as the protesters also committed Red Zone violation after dispersing from M A Jinnah Road. He said some eight more persons were detained from Red Zone area and added that the law enforcers had intercepted the protesters and refrained them violating rules at M.A Jinnah Road and Red Zone area but the protesters engaged in quarrel that compelled the law enforcers to use baton-charge and fired teargas shells freely.