KASUR: Police have become extra vigilant against the incidents of torture of people at police stations and illegal detention. In this connection, the authorities took action against their subordinates in Kasur, Faisalabad and Sialkot on Monday.

In Kasur, the Kot Radha Kishan police arrested a sub-inspector (SI) for allegedly torturing a youth of Dina Nath village and later detained him in the lock-up of the police station where he is posted.

According to complainant Naseer Ahmed, 20, he runs a small mobile phone shop in the village market. On Aug 25, SI Muhammad Sharif arrested him for buying mobile phones snatched in robberies. The complainant also alleged that the SI took away Rs20,000 from his shop. Later, the SI kept him at the police station for five days and tortured by hanging him with the ceiling of the police station. His ordeal ended on Aug 30 when he secured released after his brother Naeem paid Rs40,000 bribery to the SI.

When he was released, his mouth was bleeding and hands and feet were swollen due to torture. Initially, he was treated by a village quack and later at the Phoolnagar Rural Health Centre only to be referred to the Lahore General Hospital on Sept 3 in a critical condition. He is still under treatment.

As the story of police torture went viral online, the Kasur police officer ordered a case against SI Sharif.

According to the police, Naseer was in normal condition when he was released and worked at the shop for several days. The police also claimed that they had recovered three stolen mobile phones from Naseer. The police said that Naseer was not tortured at the police station.

FAISALABAD: A case was registered against the City Tandlianwala station house officer (SHO) and the assistant SI (ASI) fo keeping a man in illegal detention on the complaint of Saddar Superintendent of Police Naeem Shahid who visited the police post Tooran and found Mohammad Yar in lock-up.

Yar was taken into custody about 10 days ago in connection with a theft case. However, the police did not record his arrest in official documents. The case was registered under sections 342 and 155-C against SHO Bashir Naul and ASI Ansar with no arrest.

SIALKOT: District Police Officer (DPO) Mustansar Feroz dismissed from service three ASIs for thrashing people, including Christian women, in two incidents in Sialkot and Daska cities.

The DPO dismissed from service Kotli Loharaan ASIs Naveed Arshad and Shahid Mehmood. The Civil Lines police also registered a case against ASIs and five other police constables Amanullah, Amanat Ali, Muhammad Samma, Muhammad Shehbaz and Muhammad Saleem.

Accused ASIs and constables illegally raided the house of proclaimed offender (PO) Patras Maseeh at Pakka Garha on August 31. They thrashed women of the Christian family. The DPO also dismissed from service Daska City ASI Amjad Farooq for implicating Shafaqat and Iftikhar in a theft case. He kidnapped them from their houses and brutally tortured, thrashed and humiliated them at a private torture cell near Daska.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2019