LAHORE: The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has made considerable progress so far in the Model Town incident probe paving way for criminal proceedings against a deputy inspector general and four superintendents of police.

The evidences collected by the JIT suggested the SPs had either fired shots themselves directly on the protesters or issued shooting orders to their subordinates.

Mujahid SP Raheem Sherazi is another senior police officer who was on Saturday referred to in the JIT probe in connection with forgery in the official record.

An official privy to the information told Dawn, Mr Sherazi allegedly altered the record by understating the number of elite police personnel deployed on the scene to control law and order situation on the fateful day.

The official said Mr Sherazi also tried to mislead the JIT by showing quantity of ammunition less in the record than actually dispatched to the scene.

The JIT has taken into custody the official record after questioning the Muharrar of the Mujahid Squad who allegedly forged the documents at the behest of Mr Sheraiz.

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In his statement, the SP had claimed that he had only fired 10-15 bullets. However, the JIT challenged the statement with the help of a footage showing Mr Sherazi firing more than 200 shots. The police officer, during the JIT grilling, could not give a convincing explanation for firing such a large number of bullets, sources said.

Earlier, Security SP Salman Ali Khan was directly held responsible for opening fire on Pakistan Awami Tehreek workers as some CCTV footages captured him with an official gun. He had also directed his subordinate to open fire, the JIT found.

Similarly, the JIT also got some CCTV footages which showed Civil Lines SP Umar Riaz and his guard resorting to straight firing on the protesters with their official weapons.

Model Town SP Tariq Aziz had also been referred to by the JIT with regard to criminal proceedings on the same charges. Some CCTV footages had captured him torturing and dragging a woman protester outside the Minhajul Quran secretariat.

About Operations DIG Rana Abdul Jabar, the official said, the JIT probe found him present on the scene and commanding the police force.

On June 17, clashes between the supporters of Dr Tahirul Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and Lahore police had left at least 14 people, including two women, dead and dozens others injured.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2014