LAHORE: A young motorcyclist, who was allegedly tortured by police and pushed into an underpass during Independence Day celebrations at Kalma Chowk, succumbed to his wounds at the Jinnah Hospital here on Saturday.

Zohaib, 26, was allegedly tortured and pushed from the main road into the Kalma Chowk underpass by policemen on Aug 14, leaving him seriously injured, Zohaib’s relatives alleged in a first information report (FIR) lodged shortly after the incident.

Zohaib, who was struggling for life at Jinnah Hospital, succumbed to his wounds, according to Garden Town police. The body was sent for autopsy.

The boy’s relatives called it an extremely brutal incident. Talking to media at the Jinnah Hospital on Saturday, they claimed the policemen had brutally tortured Zohaib with clubs.

Garden Town Sub-Divisional Police Officer Ayesha Butt told the media on the occasion that all the four police officials nominated in the FIR, including an assistant sub-inspector, had been arrested.

She said after a departmental inquiry they were also suspended from service. Further action against the suspects would be taken on the basis of investigations into the case.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2017