SAHIWAL: Around 100 people, including family members and relatives of an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Farid Town police station who had allegedly committed suicide, held a protest, demanding a case against the suspended station house officer.

They said ASI Ayub Khan Baloch did not commit suicide but he was killed by SHO Allah Ditta in one of the rooms of the police station on Aug 25.

Police had told the media and family members that Baloch had committed suicide with his own pistol.

Baloch was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) for taking Rs10,000 bribe from a female complainant of Tandliyanwala. The woman alleged the ASI was investigation officer in the case of her relative and he had taken Rs800,000 for exonerating her.

The ACE had arrested Baloch and registered a case against him. He was supposed to be put in the police station lock-up but his colleagues gave him a room for stay. The next day, police told the media that the ASI had committed suicide.

The next day, District Police Officer Baqir Raza suspended SHO Allah Ditta and reader Mushtaq from service for showing negligence.

Police had handed over the body to family of the deceased ASI without postmortem and informed the media that the family did not want postmortem.

On Monday, family members of Ayub Khan Baloch along villagers from Chak 95/9-L gathered outside the RPO Office and demanded registration of a murder case against the suspended SHO.

Talking to reporters, deceased ASI’s brother Haji Khan and cousin Amin Khan demanded arrest of the SHO, alleging that he had killed Baloch. The family demanded an inquiry commission to investigate the police claims regarding suicide. They protesters dispersed after police assured them of arranging their meeting with the police high-ups.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2015

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