MANSEHRA: Two policemen have been suspended allegedly for torturing a boy here the other day.

A video clip that was uploaded on social media sites on Thursday showed two personnel torturing a boy. The accused were later suspended.

Head constable Mohammad Qadeer and constable Abdullah Shah were closed to police lines with immediate effect.

A circular issued by the media wing of the police revealed that the duo, posted at Balakot police station, were involved in beating a boy, Shahryar Saeedullah, who belongs to Paras village.

According to the circular, both officials were also served separate statements of allegations for a proper departmental inquiry.

It further stated that action was taken against the policemen after a video surfaced showing the policemen beating up the youngster in the Paras area of Balakot.

The boy, while lying on a hospital bed with visible marks of severe torture on his body, alleged that he was inhumanly beaten up by the policemen.

Earlier this week, the murder of a TikToker, Mohammad Javed alias Mahandri, by a police constable, Mohammad Shahid, sparked violent protests, during which angry protesters set ablaze the Balakot police station and a patrolling van.

A similar incident of alleged police excess had also led to violent protests when the SHO of Pulrah police station Hamza Khan allegedly fired and killed a resident, Abbas Arshad, who attempted to flee when police tried to search his car in the Fogdara area near Perhana town on February 14.

The protesters later lifted the blockade of a road after the police booked and arrested the accused SHO under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

People from different walks of life have demanded of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police chief and the DIG Hazara to curb police ‘excesses’ against citizens.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2026