LAHORE: Policemen assault journalist at secretariat
By Our Staff Reporter
LAHORE, Nov 30: Security officials at the Punjab Civil Secretariat beat up a senior Dawn staffer on Tuesday when he tried to enter the premises. According to Zaheer Mahmood Siddiqui
, the security officials stopped him and another reporter Anwar Husain Sumra of another English daily at the main entrance to the secretariat.
"Two constables in uniform and 10 other men in civvies seized me abruptly and beat me up severely." They dragged the reporter and took him to the office of DSP security Yar Muhammad Dogar.
He said that, on the directions of the DSP, the officials again slapped and punched him in his office. He said that the officials threatened him with dire consequences for having published a news story on the extortion of money from visitors by the security officials at the secretariat during Ramazan.
Later, the DSP asked the police officials to take the injured reporter to additional secretary welfare (S&GAD) Arif Anwar Baloch for further action. The said officer told the reporter that the chief secretary had banned his entry to the premises. He asked the victim to submit an application against the police highhandedness.
About the ban, the officer maintained that the civil secretariat was not a public place and the competent authority could stop anybody from entering the premises on security grounds.
PROBE: The Punjab chief secretary has appointed the additional secretary (admin) S&GAD as inquiry officer to probe into the beating of a senior journalist by policemen deployed at the main entrance of the Punjab Civil Secretariat.
A Punjab government spokesman said that the inquiry had been initiated under directions from Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi who had taken a strong notice of the incident.
He said that the chief secretary had appointed the inquiry officer after the matter was taken up with the chief minister. The inquiry officer had also been directed to complete the probe into the incident in three days.
LPC: The governing body of the Lahore Press Club has condemned the incident and said banning the entry of a journalist to the civil secretariat was no less than the attack on the press freedom.
In a press statement, the club officials said that the Punjab governor and chief minister should take notice of the incident and register a case against DSP security Yar Mohammad Dogar and other policemen. They said that in case of any lethargy on the part of the authorities concerned, they would hold protest rallies.
