MULTAN, Dec 21: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), local task force, has expressed dissatisfaction over the role of Nazims in bringing about some positive changes in the police department.

In a survey carried throughout the south Punjab, the task force observed that police officials had been assigned the role of ‘respectable touts’ as they were ill-trained to stem a culture of harmony, non-violence and justice.

It was observed that representatives of rural areas’ union councils were more vulnerable to police excesses. The survey report recalled the Bahadurpur incident the victims of police high-handedness in which were a union council Nazim and his deputy who were protesting the death of villagers at the hands of police. The two protesters met with the unkindest torture under the supervision of the then additional SP of Multan, report wrote.

The HRCP Multan chapter expressed concern over the government’s failure to constitute the much-publicized District Public Safety Commission (DPSC) which had been promised to be introduced with the devolution plan.

Further the task force prepared a questionnaire to be filled in by the police officials. They had been distributed in 15 police stations in the district with the consent of the district police chief. However, none of the station returned the questionnaire.

The task force recorded some 250 incidents of police excesses in South Punjab during 2001. It was learnt that most of the cases were of physical torture and illegal confinement. At least 87 incidents of detention were reported in the press. In hardly 20 cases, the court bailiff came to the rescue of the victims.

There were cases of habeas corpus in which police managed to arrest the people. This showed police had sought help from the clerical staff of the judiciary.

Officials, including SPs and DSPs, had their share in crime against humanity, not to speak of low rank officials.

As many as 30 cases of police roughshod behaviour against women were reported. Quoting an example, the report revealed an incident in which 19-year-old Najma Parveen fell prey to police harassment. She had reportedly lost her senses after police raid on her house. However, no action was taken against the culprits.

The report claimed despite amendments to the police laws under the new system, common man remained as oppressed as ever. The government had failed to envisage a programme of training police according to the new laws. Infact, the department’s separation from the civil administration left the officials to thrive without accountability.

The role of both the elected representatives and the civil administration failed to do justice in the incident of custodial deaths in Muzaffargarh.

In this light, the system needs revamping in keeping with the demands of the day. Effective monitoring, constitution of police review committees at the district level and proper system of redressal, all need to be made better.

Giving powers to NGOs and Bar associations to inspect police stations and prepare reports in this regard can be a real aid.