MULTAN: The committee, constituted by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to probe Dajal riots, has held police responsible for mishandling the issue and abusing powers but it has not recommend any action against them, Dawn has learnt.

The committee was constituted by the chief minister through order No Spl. Secy (L&O)CMO/67/2016-37 on Sept 8 to ascertain facts leading to the registration of cases against a large number of people by police. Regional Police Officer Sultan Azam Temouri was made the convener of the committee while Muzaffargarh District Police Officer Awais Ahmed Malik and SP Special Branch Multan Sharif Zaffar were its members.

Three FIRs were lodged with the Dajal police station -- FIR No166/16 under section 394/302, FIR No167/16 under section 382/148 and 149 and FIR No168/16 under section 324/353, 436/442, 440/395, 148/149 and 7-ATA.

Seventy-seven individuals appeared before the committee and submitted their applications expressing their mistrust over the investigation being conducted by the local police. As per FIR No 166 unknown culprits on a bike tried to snatch motorcycle DGN/5651-16 at gunpoint from Muhammad Danish and on resistance they fired on his foot. On hearing hue and cry, Khadim Hussain, the brother of Danish, reached the spot and the dacoits opened fired on his chest and escaped after people gathered. Hussain succumbed to his injuries while he was being shifted to the Dera Ghazi Khan District Headquarters Hospital.

It recommends change of investigator to win public trust

The committee notes an atmosphere of insecurity and a lack of confidence on police was prevailing among the people of area and the situation aggravated during the posting of Inspector Nazar Hussain as Dajal SHO.

The report says that after the incident police reached the spot after a considerable delay and people gave first-aid to the injured and took him to the hospital, where he died. This infuriated people who got shops closed at Parrara Chowk and gathered in front of the police station to protest.

It says the local police could not evolve any strategy and the number of protesters went on increasing and they had placed the dead body in front of the police station. And as SHO Hussain and DSP Abdul Rehman had not cultivated good relations in the local community, they had no influence upon people due to which the protest got prolonged and five police vehicles were burnt.

The FIR No 167 was lodged by Muhammad Arif who informed police that seven nominated and 300 to 400 unidentified people in an attempt to get his bakery closed stormed there and deprived him of Rs20,700 and mobile phone. The inquiry committee is of the view that some “malicious elements” entered the bakery and caused loss to the owner but police neither contacted any prominent figure to control the mob nor did they try to disperse it. No nominated person has been arrested so far, it says.

“Moreover 300/400 unknown accused have been mentioned in the FIR but local police have not identified them through video clips due to which strong reservations of the complainant have come to surface,” the report states.

The FIR No 168 was lodged on the complaint of SHO Nazar Hussain on the allegations that people broke the main gate and north wall of police station, kept police officers (including Rajanpur DPO Irfanullah Marwat) in illegal confinement after forcibly entering the police station, stopped police force, deflated the tyres of police vehicles, committed indiscriminate stoning, set the building of police station on fire and attempted to burn alive the hostages.

According to the report, 10 nominated and 21 unidentified accused were arrested after identification and were produced before court. Six of them were discharged by court while remaining were sent on judicial remand.

“15 nominated accused and one unknown person are on pre-arrest bail till Sept 19,” the report states.

It says police incompetent, especially the SHO’s role, appear to be the major causes of unrest. “It has come to light that an Elite police official took one protester namely Nazir to the police station and beat him badly and handed him over to a Razakar. He escaped, joined the protesters and raised hue and cry against police torture. Upon which the protesters started stoning police and the police station,” says the report.

The committee recommends that the accused in the murder case should be arrested and investigations of FIR No167 (attack on bakery) should be conducted fairly and impartially.

“However, the number of unknown accused who forcibly got the bakery shut down does not appear to be more than 20/25 instead of 300/400 people mentioned in the FIR as the crowd of 200/250 people gathered there due to incident of robbery with murder near the bakery,” the report says.

While discussing the FIR 168/16, the committee states that the FIR covers three incidents of seizure of police station, stopping police force and burning police vehicles. “On examination of available video clips the active protesters are 40 to 50 with unlawful assembly of 200 to 250 instead of 45 nominated and 400/500 unknown accused mentioned in the FIR.”

It states that in case of burning vehicles, there are 30 to 40 active protesters with unlawful assembly of 70 to 80 unknown accused instead of 48 nominated and 200/300 unknown accused mentioned in this part of FIR while this part attracts section 353, 427, 435, 436, 380, 148, 149 and 7-ATA.

The report says no accused has been found armed with firearm while no evidence regarding pushing the police vehicles from a petrol pump to the place of occurrence which is approximately half a kilometer has come to surface.

“There is an atmosphere of mistrust and insecurity among the masses; therefore, it is imperative that the investigation of all these cases should be transferred out of District Rajanpur and entrusted to an officer not below the rank of DSP. It will be appropriate if Regional Police Officer, Dera Ghazi Khan, is directed to process the aforementioned cases for change of investigation as provided under the law so that the unrest and uncertainty prevailing among people of locality may be diminished,” the report concludes.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2016