KASUR: A former member of the district council set herself ablaze on Saturday on the premises of the Ganda Singh Police Station as a mark of protest against the attitude of police who had taken his brother into custody.

The woman, Sakina Bibi, was shifted to the district headquarters hospital for treatment but was referred to Lahore due to critical burns.

Sources claimed that police had refused to release her brother who was in the lock-up in various cases.

According to sources, Sakina, a resident of village Nizampura, a former district council member, went to Ganda Singh Police Station to see her brother, Abdul Razzaq, who was in custody. Sakina asked the police to let her see her brother but they refused to do that. This led to an exchange of words between her and policemen.

Later, Sakina sprinkled herself with petrol and set herself on fire in front of the office of the SHO. The officials, as seen in a video clip posted on social media, tried to rescue her but in vain. She was rushed to the district headquarters hospital but was later referred to Lahore owing to critical condition.

According to Sakina’s family, police denied Sakina a meeting with Razzaq because they had tortured him the previous night.

Police rejected the allegations, saying they got Razzaq physically examined from the DHQ Hospital and there were no reports of torture.

Police also claimed that Sakina used abusive language and threatened police with dire consequences if her brother was not released. Police said the survivor was a complainant in about 20 cases registered with various police stations against her opponents.

District Police Officer Essa Khan visited the police station and launched an inquiry.

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2024