A COMMUNITY leader who was injured by a police shield during Burnley's riots is demanding Lancashire Police charge him or admit there is no case to answer.

On June 25 Shahid Malik, whose father Coun Rafique Malik is a former director of Blackburn Racial Equality Council and is currently Burnley Council's deputy Mayor, was in Daneshouse when he was arrested by police for alleged violent disorder.

He said he was acting as an intermediary for members of the Asian community.

He was allegedly struck in the face with a police riot shield and claimed he was attempting to defuse the situation between the local Asians and the police and he was arrested.

Mr Malik, 33, a member of the Commission for Racial Equality, suffered a cut to his face above his eye which needed several stitches.

While in Burnley General Hospital Mr Malik said he was "de-arrested" and told by police he would be re-arrested the following day -- but this has never happened.

Six weeks later Mr Malik, of Colne Road, Burnley, has still not received confirmation from police of what action, if any, they intend to pursue.

Mr Malik's solicitor Tony Murphy, of Bindman and Partners in London, said: "The police are under a duty to conduct their investigation expeditiously.

"They are assisted in this case by the availability of video evidence and it should not take six weeks to consider footage of one short incident. "I understand the video makes it clear that Mr Malik was trying to defuse the situation and one must question whether it is in the public interest to employ police resources in this way.

"It is important to ensure that Lancashire police are not using this investigation as a smoke screen to delay justice."

Mr Malik said: "My family and I are very concerned about the delay in clearing my name. The evidence appears unequivocal and shows firstly, I have no case to answer and secondly that I was the victim of an unprovoked assault by police.

"I call on the Chief Constable to end this farce so that the Police Complaints Authority can begin their investigation and justice can be done as soon as possible."

Nobody from Lancashire Police was available to comment.