LAHORE: Punjab Special Branch Additional IG Muhammad Amlish is holding a departmental inquiry against a former Bahawalpur regional police officer (RPO) and the Rahim Yar Khan district police officer (DPO).

A departmental report finalised by the former Bahawalpur regional police officer against the Rahim Yar Khan district police officer talks of issues as serious as setting up of illegal detention centres and fake encounters.

Another report submitted to the Chief Minister Secretariat by an intelligence agency alleged that the Bahawalpur RPO had indulged in ‘immoral’ activities at his residence, Dawn has learnt from informed police sources.

Both reports, sources said, were part of the departmental inquiry conducted by the Additional IG.

DIG Shahid Hanif, who was removed from the post of Bahawalpur RPO and made an OSD by the Punjab government around a month ago on the basis of intelligence reports, conveyed to his seniors that his DPO Sohail Zafar Chattha was involved in hatching a conspiracy against him.

They said Mr Hanif and Mr Chattha had failed to develop an understanding and differed over departmental matters.

A source privy to the inquiry told Dawn that the Punjab Special Branch Additional IG, who is currently looking into both reports and cross-allegations involving the two officers, had recently recorded the statement of the DIG.

Quoting the contents of one report submitted to the IGP, the source said the friction between two officers peaked when the RPO sent his report to police authorities that he had raided a place and found an illegal detention cell having over a dozen suspected criminals which the DPO allegedly used to ‘detain’ and then kill them in ‘fake’ encounters.

The source, while quoting the second report, said DIG Hanif was involved in ‘immoral’ activities.

An audio conversation was sent as evidence to the Chief Minister Secretariat.

The source said the DIG insisted that the DPO got irritated and ‘managed’ to compile a baseless report against him with the help of an intelligence officer.

When contacted, Mr Chattha denied his involvement in any conspiracy against his former RPO, saying he always respected Mr Hanif and had no differences with him.

He said his RPO had raided a police station in the Rahim Yar Khan district where he found 33 criminals detained in the lock-up.

Upon asking their status, the local police told the RPO the suspects were legally arrested and that they were following a due course of action.

The DPO denied that any detention cell existed at his official residence where he lived with his family.

When contacted, DIG Hanif said he had no information about any inquiry against him, but hastened to add that an inquiry involved the Rahim Yar Khan DPO.

He said he neither raided any centre operated by the DPO in Rahim Yar Khan nor found suspected criminals in illegal detention. He also denied submitting any report to the IGP, adding differences were a routine matter in general policing.

When asked if an intelligence report submitted to the CM Secretariat talked about some so-called immoral activities, he said those were baseless allegations and he was cleared in those reports. He said he was transferred on political grounds.

Punjab Special Branch Additional IG Muhammad Amlish confirmed that he was holding an inquiry into the matter and was yet to form an opinion.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2014