TAXILA: The Punjab home department on Friday suspended five officials of the district jail of Attock and transferred the jail superintendent after videos of torture on prisoners in the prison went viral on social media.

According to a notification issued by the Home Department, Superintendent Attock jail Arif Shehzad has been transferred and directed to report to the Inspectorate of Prisons in Lahore.

He has been replaced by Ishtiaq Ahmad Gul, Principal of the Punjab Prison Staff Training Institute. Moreover, Deputy Superintendent Saramad Hassan, Assistant Superintendent Mushtaq Ahmad, Chief Wardens Mohammad Rafiq, Zulfiqar and Warden Mohammad Ayub were suspended for misconduct and negligence of duty.

On the other hand, Inspector General (IG) of Prisons Punjab Mian Farooq Nazir has appointed DIG Prisons Rawalpindi region Rana Abdul Rauf as the inquiry officer and directed him to submit a report on the matter.

One of the videos shows a uniformed officer sitting on a chair while a prisoner is seen massaging him.

Footage also showed a prisoner assigned by the jail administration beating fellow inmates with a leather strap.

Prisoners were seen lifting other inmates in their arms while another inmate lashes them.

In another clip, one prisoner is seen slapping and punching another while a jail officer stands nearby. Another part of the footage shows a person hitting prisoners lined up in a row with a leather strap.

Sources said the inmates reportedly went on a hunger strike as a protest.

Following the directions form IG Mian Farooq Nazir, the DIG has launched an official inquiry. The IG stated that while jail authorities had the right to transfer prisoners as per the jail manual, they were not allowed to physically punish or torture inmates. He said torture will not be tolerated. He also expressed concern over how a camera made its way inside the jail despite security protocols, terming it a security lapse that will also be investigated. He said anyone found guilty will face strict departmental action.

There have been frequent complaints about ill-treatment, torture and alleged corruption in the jail.

The Provincial Intelligence Centre (PIC), in a report issued in September last year, had accused some Attock jail employees of raping or sexually harassing women visiting prisoners.

In the report, it was also revealed that drug use had become widespread in the Attock jail due to the presence of powerful mafias on its premises.

Moreover, five officers, including the jail superintendent, were transferred after a video of torture on prisoners in the district jail went viral. In this case, two head warders and four warders were also suspended after they were found involved in the mistreatment and torture of prisoners.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2025