GILGIT, Aug 16: A group of people staged a sit-in here on Wednesday in protest against police for allegedly torturing four teenagers in the Singal village of the Puniyal tehsil, 56km west of Gilgit.

Vehicular traffic between Ghizer and Gilgit remained suspended for many hours due to the protest. The protesters, led by Ghizer District Council chairman Dr Alimdad Sher, accused the local police of detaining the teenagers on false charges of theft and keeping them in illegal confinement. They alleged that police had made them stand up the whole night.

They said police had entered the boys’ houses without any warrants and no magistrate accompanied them, which was a clear violation of the law.

The assistant commissioner of Puniyal assured the protesters that their just demands would be met.