MUZAFFARABAD: A station house officer (SHO) of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) police was dismissed from service after being found guilty of harassing a British-Kashmiri woman in a gross abuse of authority, it was announced on Tuesday.

The dismissal order of Inspector Chaudhry Imran Ahmed, who was posted as SHO Thothal in Mirpur at the time of the incident, was issued by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Mirpur Region, Dr Liaqat Ali, under the Efficiency and Discipline Rules, 1992, following a departmental inquiry.

According to police sources, the incident occurred on February 21 when the victim, a UK-born woman of Kashmiri origin, approached the SHO to seek police help in reclaiming her late father’s property in Mirpur.

The SHO picked her up from her residence but instead of taking her to the police station, he allegedly drove her to his private residence, where he kept her confined for over four hours and attempted to exploit the situation for personal gratification.

In an audio recording secretly made by the woman on her mobile phone, the allegedly intoxicated SHO could be heard coercing her to comply with his obscene demands.

The matter came to light when someone from the UK forwarded the audio clip to AJK Inspector General of Police (IGP) Rana Abdul Jabbar on February 25. The IGP promptly directed SSP Mirpur Khawar Ali Shaukat to verify the complaint, reach out to the victim, and suspend the SHO pending a formal inquiry.

The incident had sparked outrage in the local and expatriate community, prompting renewed calls for stronger oversight of police conduct in AJK.

Many civil society members expressed concern over the abuse of power by those in uniform and demanded transparent accountability mechanisms to prevent such occurrences in future. Police sources said a criminal case was subsequently registered against SHO Ahmed at Thothal police station.

Though the SHO had initially obtained pre-arrest bail, he was eventually taken into custody from Sudhnoti on February 28, after Section 354 of the APC (assault or use of criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) was added to the FIR in view of the victim’s statement.

The initial departmental inquiry was conducted by SP Kotli Adeel Ahmed Langrial, based on a charge sheet issued by DIG Mirpur. The inquiry confirmed the allegations, stating that the SHO had engaged in “misconduct, harassment, wrongful confinement, and criminal negligence in the discharge of his professional duties.” The inquiry also noted that the SHO, who was lodged in Mirpur Central Jail, refused to receive the charge sheet and did not submit a statement for the inquiry despite two official attempts. The SHO remained behind bars for around 20 days before securing release on bail.

Police sources said the DIG issued a final show-cause notice to the accused officer on March 21, but the SHO’s reply was deemed “unsatisfactory and contrary to the facts on record,” following which he ordered his dismissal from service.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2025