MUZAFFARABAD: A district judge in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Monday ordered registration of FIR against five police personnel and a sixth private person for “torturing and abusing” a man.

Naeem Ahmed, serving as peon in a state-run institution in subdivision Dhirkot of Bagh district had informed Additional District Judge Aftab Tariq Mir, who has also been designated as justice of peace, that five police personnel, led by the in-charge of police post Malot and another man had beaten him black and blue with fists, kicks and cans amid constant abuses after taking him to the police post on the night of Feb 15 when he was on his way home in a private taxi.

His counsel, Amir Sharif, informed the court that the applicant had lodged a complaint in police station Bagh on Feb 17 and had also gotten himself medically examined on the orders of a first class magistrate the same day.

On Feb 23, the applicant also submitted an application to SSP Bagh for departmental action against the accused, the counsel added.

However, in his comments the respondent - Station House Officer Bagh — denied occurrence of the incident and said that the applicant had not lodged a complaint because if he did, police would have taken action. He also alleged that the medical certificate was fake.

However, relying on facts of the case, the judge held that the treatment meted out to the applicant fell under the definition of ‘series of crime’ and police were under an obligation to register an FIR under section 154 of CrPC for commission of a cognisable offence.

He said the FIR should be registered against the five police personnel and the sixth person within three days, with intimation to his court.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2021