The 50-year-old woman, Zahuran Elahi, was working as a maid for a man named Ayaz Daulatana a close relative of Begum Tehmina Daultana a leader of PML-N. She was handed over to the police by her employer, who accused her of stealing gold from his house.
The police took me into custody and kept me in a torture cell, the victim said in a statement. I was tied and repeatedly tortured by the police officers, she said.
Her medical reports showed bruises, swelling and torture marks on her body, doctors at DHQ Hospital confirmed.
Shakeela, a constable posted at the Danewal police station, witnessed the scene. She was asked to come along during the questioning. She said that the suspects questioned the woman, and when she denied the theft charges, they beat her. “I tried to stop them, but was unable to,” she said.
A FIR was also registered against 13 policemen under sections 354 (assault or use of criminal force against a woman), 337K (causing hurt to extort confession), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement) and 155C (liability of person for whose benefit riot is committed) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
These are the punishments of the following sections:
354 – punishable with death or life imprisonment
337K- imprisonment of up to 10 years
342- imprisonment of one year and Rs3,000 fine
155- punishable with a fin
Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has asked the RPO to submit an investigation report within 48 hours.
(PAKPATTAN)In yet another incident of high-handedness by Punjab police, a sub-inspector in Pakpattan was suspended after allegedly manhandling a devotee visiting the shrine of Baba Farid Ganj Shakar for urs celebrations.
The sub-inspector, Aijaz Kalia, was posted at the shrine to oversee the security of visitors.
A video of the incident went viral on social media on Saturday in which visitors to the shrine can be seen standing in a queue just before the stairs leading inside.
In the video, a man in the queue can be seen raising his voice in protest to the presence of the police officer. It is not clear what the reason behind the man's protest was, but another man can heard saying: "Is there even a reason for closing it?"
The sub-inspector lost his composure and yelled at the protesting man, telling him to "Shut up" ["chup kar"] to which the man responded by saying, "Why should I keep quiet?"
As things got heated, the officer goaded the man to go ahead and speak up if he is so inclined, moving to cross a rope barrier between him and the queue of people, but then holding back.
(AMIR MASIH) A CCTV footage has lent credence to claims that Amir Masih was subjected to torture by the Lahore police officials.
According to the family of the deceased, Masih, a gardener by profession, had appeared before North Cantt police last week to prove his innocence against the charges of theft levelled against him by his employer, but the police detained him and subjected him to severe torture which claimed his life.
Police had reportedly shifted him to a private hospital four days later for multiple injuries inflicted on him.
The video purports to show policeman and Amir Masih in front of the hospital where he was brought on a motorcycle.
The footage shows policemen in plainclothes kicking the victim as he falls to the ground before being dragged into the medical facility.
According to the video timestamp, an hour later the victim is seen on wheel-chair outside the hospital entrance and being taken away in a car.
The postmortem report also confirmed torture on Amir's hands, back and arms. His ribs were also broken, the report stated.
On September 4, the police registered a case against six police officials over the death of a suspect in police custody.
Inchrge Investigation Nasir Baig, T/ASI Zeeshan and four constables were nominated in the FIR registered against them under sections 302, 342 and 34 PPC.
The recent incidents of deaths in police custody have brought about embarrassment for the police high-ups when a suspect died in Rahim Yar Khan and another in Lahore.
The incidents occurred despite the fact that Inspector General of Punjab retired Capt Arif Nawaz Khan had issued clear instructions to all the field officers that “no officer will be spared if such crime was reported in any part of the province”.
For the purpose, he had paid surprise visits to some police stations of Punjab.
Earlier, he had also given his policy guideline in this respect to all the regional police officers (RPOs), district police officers (DPOs), city police officers (CPOs) and the Lahore capital city police officer (CCPO). However, despite all efforts, the incidents of torture of suspects in police custody continued to surface, bringing bad name to the department.
According to a handout issued on Monday, the IGP Punjab expressed his displeasure over the incident of custodial death of Salahuddin Ayubi in Rahim Yar Khan. He had got viral for his video recorded in an ATM machine before his arrest.
While addressing a video link conference at Central Police Office, Mr Khan directed the Bahawalpur RPO to conduct a detailed inquiry into the death of the suspect, ensuring strict departmental and legal action against the persons responsible. He said that in case of custodial death or torture, the circle officer would also be held accountable.
In Lahore, a middle-aged man, Amjad Ali, had breathed his last late on Sunday at a local hospital of Lahore due to alleged torture by the Gujjarpura police in an illegal torture cell unearthed some days back.
The torture cell was detected in a building of the forest department where nine suspects, including Amjad, were illegally kept by the police for ‘interrogation’. Most of them were brought there on the basis of allegations and the station house officer of Gujjarpura Police Station and his three other subordinates used to allegedly torture them. The footages later went viral on social media showing Amjad lying on a charpoy in critical condition after the police officials used third-degree torture which led to fracture of his backbone.
As per the video clips, Amjad revealed he couldn’t even move due to fracture he had suffered during the brutal torture by the police who had picked up him from his home. He also alleged that the raiding policemen had misbehaved with his family, took away cash and valuables from his home and locked him in the building of the forest department.
As the video reached the police high-ups, they ordered an inquiry which was carried out initially by a superintendent of police and then another senior police officer.
In both the inquiries, the SHO and other policemen were found guilty of charges leveled by all the nine people locked in the private torture cell. They later suspended from service. However, the issue again came to the limelight on Sunday night when Amjad died during his treatment at hospital.
The Lahore police high-ups claimed that he had died of a cardiac arrest. However, a murder case was lodged over the incident nominating three policemen for torture of Amjad that led to his death.
During the video link conference, IGP Khan said lock-up should be used for safe custody of the suspects and accused and it was the responsibility of police to provide them with good and timely medical care and in case of any laxity in this regard action would be taken against those responsible.
During the conference, Mr Arif Nawaz directed the senior police officers to specially inspect the lock-ups, record videos during their surprise visits to the police stations and in case of any violation of the SOP, take strict action without any delay.
He also issued instructions about the security arrangements regarding Muharram, saying that the DPOs should personally monitor the security arrangements of A category processions in sensitive districts of the province.
He said the snipers should also be deployed on the rooftops on the buildings in the vicinity of sensitive Majalis. He directed the officials to utilise the drone cameras for security of A category processions and their routes for 9th and 10th Muharram.
Parking should be at least 100 feet away from the mosques and imambargahs. He also issued directions regarding the security arrangements for the devotees on the annual Urs of Hazrat Baba Fareeduddin Ganj Shakar in Pakpattan by deputing women police officials for search and security of female devotees.
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