MULTAN, June 24: Two separate inquiries have been ordered into an incident of alleged stitching of lips of a prisoner by the Vehari police. Multan Range DIG Malik Iqbal has asked ADIG Nawaz Lotharr to determine the veracity of the report. Vehari DPO Mukhtar Tikka has directed DSP (Headquarters) Majeed Chishti to investigate the matter.

It is reported that Mohammad Hussain was brought to Vehari from Multan central jail on June 22 in connection with hearing in an abduction case registered against him last year with the Thingi police station.

He allegedly had a scuffle with another prisoner Imran alias Mana in the judicial lock-up there. Later, he urged policemen to punish Imran. He injured himself by butting himself against the iron bars of the lock-up when policemen refused to oblige him.

He was taken to a hospital. Daniwal police secured a medico-legal certificate and later filed a case against him for attempting to commit suicide. Becuase of this, he could not be shifted to Multan jail and was kept in the lock-up for another day.

On June 23, Mohammad Hussain and a policeman Mohammad Din exchanged hot words and later came to blows. Mohammad Hussain started abusing the policemen. Later, his lips were allegedly stitched by policemen. The Vehari police, however, denied the charge.

Daniwal police SHO Rasheed Ahmed said that according to the MLC, Mohammad Hussain had no injury on his face. A source in Multan jail, however, said the prisoner had injuries on his chin and cheeks when the Vehari police brought him back. The prisoner told the jail authorities that police had kept him for some time in Vehari’s Machhiwal police station.

The source said Mohammad Hussain was also beaten up by the central jail authorities on his return to get his ‘cooperation’.

Multan region DIG prison Mian Farooq Nazir has also sought a report about the incident from central jail superintendent Malik Ziaullah.