LAHORE, Sept 10: Political pressure on higher police hierarchy has put the services of a former Mozang police SHO at stake. The policeman is facing charges of torture of some people in custody and action has been recommended against him under the removal from service law.

MPA Rasheed Bhatti reportedly came to the Mozang police station to get released his relative in July 2006. On refusal he got infuriated and had an exchange of hot words with the SHO.

Initial inquiry into the MPA-SHO incident suggests that “MPA Rasheed Ahmad Bhatti entered the Mozang police station and abused policemen. He also threatened them with dire consequences.”

The report was written by Mozang investigation police incharge Inspector Ali Abbas.

According to him, the MPA misbehaved with policemen and attempted to get some accused freed from the police lock-up.

The accused, according to the MPA, belonged to his constituency but a police source said one of the accused, Ahmad Ali Bhatti, was his relative.

Mozang supervisory police officer (SPO) Shaoib Zaman, in his report submitted to the SP concerned, confirmed the MPA came to the police station and abused the policemen.

He said: “The MPA also indulged in hooliganism.”

Interestingly, the same SPO lodged the FIR against then Mozang police SHO Rana Akmal, stating that the accused in the lock-up told him that they had been tortured by the SHO. The SPO also wrote in the FIR that the other accused in the lock-up also confirmed torture of them.

However, in his report submitted to the SP earlier, the SPO said: “There was no torture of any kind of the accused in the lock-up.”

Police sources said the FIR by the SPO was lodged on the instructions of senior police hierarchy under political pressure.

The SHO after suspension from service is facing torture charges against him under the removal from service law of the Police Order, 2002.

The Civil Lines police division SP in his findings also held the SHO responsible for torturing the accused. He also said that the SHO had registered cases against the accused without bringing it to his (SP’s) knowledge.

No law, according to police sources, requires a police station head to seek permission or consult the SP concerned before the registration of such kind of cases.

More interesting was the medical report of the accused allegedly tortured in custody. It said: “A friendly hand caused marks on the bodies of the accused.”

Explaining the friendly hand, medical experts said: “The marks were self-inflicted”.

The incident is not the first of its kind. Over one and a half year ago, a ruling party minister came to Millat Park police station along with his men to release his brother who was allegedly caught red-handed from a gambling den. The minister and his men had allegedly thrashed policemen.

Last year, on pressure from senior police hierarchy, Garden Town police had to set free some 26 men arrested from a gambling den.

The 26 men after their release went to the rooftop of a building in the area and resorted to aerial firing for well about two hours in jubilation.