Trouble erupts at Kejetia....

...over the beating of an ice-cream seller

An irate crowd, incensed by the action of some workers of Messrs G. K. Appiah and sons, contractors at the Kejetia Terminal Project, who were alleged to have beaten up, Philip Edmound, 21, an ice-cream seller to unconsciousness this afternoon engaged in a running battle with the Buffalo Unit of the Police at Kejetia.

The crowd destroyed virtually all the louvre blades of one of the new buildings, which would house offices and other facilities at the terminal and smashed all the windscreens of vehicles at the worksite.

A Director of the company, who was said to have ordered the workers to beat up the ice-cream seller, had to be taken away by the Police, who arrived at the scene just on time as the crowd closed in on him to administer instant justice to him.

It took the Buffalos a hell of a time containing the crowd. They had to fire tear gas intermittently as well as warning shots to stop the crowd from destroying the terminal and setting ablaze the vehicles of the contractor.

So tense was the situation that re-enforcement of the Police and the Army had to called in.

Briefing the press on the incident, Mr. George Asiamah, Ashanti Regional Police Commander, said that the ice-cream seller crossed the Director while he was driving into the place.

This then degenerated into an exchange of words between the Director and the ice-cream seller and in the course of the exchanges some workers of the company pounced on the ice-cream seller and beat him up.

He said when the people heard that " a rich man had ordered that a poor man should be beaten, and thinking that he was dead, they were incensed and they attacked the workers".

However, with the arrival of the Police and army re-enforcement, the situation had been brought under control.

The Police had arrested 29 people in connection with the incident and would interrogate the ice cream seller on Wednesday, the Regional Commander said.