SIALKOT: The Daska local administration has established a unique tent sub-jail in the tennis ground at the Civil Rest House here.

Daska Assistant Commissioner (AC) Asif Hussain Mehdi told Dawn this temporary jail was established to punish those found not wearing face masks. Every violator will be brought to this jail for 24 hours as a punishment under Section 188 of PPC, while the jail is surrounded by the metal fence of the tennis ground. He said the lock-up of the local police station was narrow, small and suffocating due to which this makeshift arrangement was made. The jail has been equipped with water coolers, he added.

AC Mehdi said: “Many people were brought to this open-air sub-jail for not wearing masks on the first day. But, they were released a few hours later after being warned against repeating the violation and distributing masks among them.”

He said gradually the punishments would be increased for those not wearing masks. Though this step was unique, but it was taken purely on humanitarian grounds, he added.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2020

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