LAHORE: Additional Inspector General of Police Internal Accountability Branch (IAB) Ghulam Rasool Zahid has launched an inquiry on the plea for registration of criminal case against Lahore Capital City Police Officer Umar Sheikh.

The inquiry has been launched on the directions of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab Inam Ghani. Additional District and Sessions Judge Arif Hameed ordered the probe when Gujjarpura police’s former SHO Syed Ahmad Raza Jafari approached the court with a complaint that the Lahore police authorities were not lodging a case against the CCPO Lahore on the basis of his grievances.

On Tuesday, the inquiry officer recorded statements of four police officials including the petitioner and the personal staff officer of the CCPO.

“Yes, I have deputed an additional IG to start inquiry against the CCPO Lahore for registration of a case against him in compliance with the court order,” Mr Ghani confirmed to Dawn. He said action would be taken in the light of the inquiry report after hearing both parties.

The initiative has been taken on court order on ex-SHO’s plea

In his petition submitted to the additional district and sessions judge, the complainant pleaded that he had filed an application with the Civil Lines police station for registration of a criminal case against the CCPO. He said the Lahore police authorities were bound to lodge a case against the CCPO but they had refused to do so.

He alleged that Umar Sheikh hurled life threats, misbehaved with him and lodged an illegal FIR against him.

Mr Jafari alleged that on Sept 14 he, along with assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs) including Mohammad Imran, Shahzad Ali and Imran, appeared before the CCPO who without any legal justification and against all ethics started misbehaving with him and directed his staff to take him (Jafari) to the torture cell and torture him till his death.

He further stated that the CCPO’s staff took him to the Civil Lines police station and lodged a false and frivolous FIR against him. “So CCPO Umar Sheikh committed a cognizable offence,” the petitioner said, adding that he filed a complaint with the Civil Lines police station to lodge a case against the CCPO but to no avail.

The additional district and sessions judge in his order stated that the petitioner had raised a number of serious allegations against the accused. “The accused is performing a duty of very high office and such allegations supported by affidavits cannot be brushed aside,” the court order reads.

The court referred the matter to the IGP with a direction to conduct an inquiry through a senior police officer.

“If allegations levelled by the petitioner are found to be genuine, then proceed administratively or on legal side, thereafter, proceed ahead purely and strictly in accordance with the law with intimation to this court,” says the order.

On Tuesday, the inquiry officer formally initiated probe into the allegations of the petitioner and recorded his statement. He also took the statements of Sheikh Asif, the Lahore police SP Legal, Waheed Ishaq, the personal staff officer to the CCPO, and Civil Lines SHO Babar Ashraf Ansari.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2020