Rajab Butt City Courts case: fresh FIR filed against lawyers over alleged assault

WEB DESK: A new police case has been registered against several lawyers for allegedly attacking a station house officer (SHO) at the City Courts police station, days after YouTuber Rajab Butt was reportedly manhandled during a court appearance in Karachi.

Police said the latest first information report (FIR) was lodged on the complaint of City Courts SHO Jahangir Bhutto, who accused a group of lawyers of storming the police station, creating chaos and physically assaulting him after an earlier case was registered against them over the alleged attack on Butt.

Earlier an FIR was filed against Advocate Riaz Ali Solangi, Advocate Abdul Fatah Chandio and 15 to 20 unidentified lawyers for allegedly assaulting Rajab Butt inside the Karachi sessions court when he appeared in connection with a case. The YouTuber was accompanied by fellow content creator Nadeem Mubarak, popularly known as Nani Wala, at the time.

According to the SHO’s complaint, around 40 to 50 lawyers, allegedly led by Chandio, Solangi and Advocate Abdul Wahab Rajper, forced their way into a temporary police setup inside the City Courts on December 30. The SHO said he was informed while on patrol that the group was demanding the registration of a counter-case against Butt and his counsel.

The FIR states that when the SHO reached the police station around 2pm and explained that a case had already been registered according to law, the lawyers allegedly began hurling abuses before physically attacking him. He claimed police staff intervened to rescue him, after which the lawyers left the premises while chanting slogans and issuing death threats.

The case has been registered under multiple sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, including provisions related to rioting, criminal intimidation, obstructing a public servant and assault to deter a public official from performing official duties. Three lawyers have been nominated by name, along with 40 to 50 unidentified individuals.

Separately, Rajab Butt’s lawyer, Mian Ali Ashfaq, has accused Solangi, Chandio and other lawyers of attacking his client near the West Building of the City Courts when Butt arrived to seek bail. He alleged that Butt sustained injuries during the assault and that a bag containing Rs300,000 was snatched, with the cash later found missing even though the bag was returned.

Advocate Solangi, meanwhile, has claimed the incident followed a vlog posted by Butt after obtaining pre-arrest bail earlier this month, in which he allegedly used offensive language against lawyers. He has said the matter was later defused after Butt apologised before members of the legal community.

Police said investigations into both cases are under way.