LAHORE: A Christian man detained on the allegation of having liquor died in a lock-up on Saturday, sparking clashes between the protesting members of the community and the police at Green Town on Saturday.

The area turned into a ‘battlefield’ due to hours-long scuffles between the police and the protesters, who demanded registration of a murder case against the Green Town police for what they claimed torturing Shahzad, 40, to death.

Shahzad was arrested by the Green Town police during routine patrolling at Bholla Chowk earlier in the day. The police claimed they had recovered six bottles of liquor from Shahzad and took him to the police station where a case was registered against him on the complaint of ASI Rauf Ahmad.

The police said he was later found dead in the lock-up due to cardiac arrest. But the relatives of the deceased alleged that the police killed Shahzad and they besieged the police station, raising slogans against the police and demanding a murder case against officials.

Witnesses said the protesters tried to enter the police station, provoking the police to baton-charge them. They said the charged protesters blocked all the roads leading to the police station and some senior police officials tried to disperse them through negotiations but to no avail.

They pelted the police with stones and the latter fired teargas shells and baton-charged the protesters. The police action left some of the protesters injured. Shopkeepers closed their businesses and the residents remained confined to their homes.

DIG Dr Haider Ashraf and elders of area finally convinced the relatives of the deceased that a criminal case had been lodged against the police officials involved in the murder of Shahzad.

The DIG told Dawn that he had requested for a judicial probe into the of death Shahzad. The body was sent to the mortuary for autopsy.

One of the protesters, who introduced himself as cousin to the deceased, told reporters that the Green Town police routinely arrested Christians in liquor cases just to show their performance. He said the Green Town police had previously entered the local Christian Colony and arrested some men on the false allegation of bootlegging.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2014