UPND CADRES ATTACK PF MPS
… as police nab 6 in melee at police station
By MUKWIMA CHILALA

A GROUP of suspected UPND cadres yesterday stormed the Chelstone Police station and attacked PF senior members who had gone to offer solidarity to their party chairman for information and publicity, Mr Raphael Nakacinda.
And Mr Nakacinda, who had been summoned to Chelstone Police, was warned, cautioned and later detained for alleged defamation of the President.
He has been detained alongside the suspected cadres who attacked PF members outside the same police station.
The suspected UPND cadres arrived at the police station around 15:30 hours in a mini bus and started throwing stones and beating people found there leading to PF members and journalists to scamper for safety.
The episode lasted for about 10 minutes during which some vehicles were damaged in the process and some people injured.
Among the injured are an unidentified lady who tried to scamper for safety in her vehicle which was descended upon and stoned by the cadres injuring her in the process while Munali PF member, Chris Chinda, popularly known as Chris Mall was also beaten and injured.
Police later pursued some of the cadres and arrested about seven of them, who included six men and one female who were apprehended at NRDC while trying to flee.
And PF vice president Given Lubinda expressed disappointment at the behaviour of the cadres.
Mr Lubinda who was also caught up in the fracas said that it was disappointing that the cadres attempted to disrupt a peaceful gathering of PF senior members who went to offer solidarity to their member.
And addressing journalists, PF leader of the opposition party in Parliament Brian Mundubile expressed concern that Mr Nakachinda was being hwls in the same cell where the unruly UPND cadres who tried to attack them were.
Mr Mundubile expressed fear that Mr Nakacinda would be harmed in the cell by the UPND cadres and that efforts by the party to have him moved to a different cell had been ignored by police.
And Police Deputy Public Relations Officer Danny Mwale confirmed that Mr Nakacinda had been detained, saying they had recorded a warn and caution statement from him for defamation of the President.
Mr Nakacinda is detained at Chelstone Police Station and has not yet been granted bond.
Mr Mwale said this was in connection to the statement Mr Nakacinda issued at the High Court grounds on December 13, 2021 and the interview he had on one of the radio stations in Lusaka that President Hakainde Hichilema has been meeting the judiciary in an effort to manipulate the ruling on the eight PF nullified elections.
Among those caught up in the fracas include former PF Secretary General Davies Mwila, acting Secretary-General Nickson Chilangwa, former Foreign Affairs Minister Joel Malanji and former Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo.