KARACHI, Feb 7: As many as 1,100 cases of police torture were reported in the country during 2004, of which 828 victims of such atrocities were men, 180 women, 65 boys and 27 were girls , who were subjected to various sorts of physical abuse by police.

According to a report compiled by Madadgaar, a helpline of the Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid (LHRLA), a majority of such cases was reported from Punjab and Sindh, 644 and 405 cases, respectively, eight cases were reported from Balochistan, and 43 from NWFP.

The report further indicates that 450 cases of illegal detention, 143 cases of murder, 41 cases of body mutilation, 328 acts of beating with a baton or whip, being hung upside down by the ankles, punching and burning with cigarettes, three cases of burning alive, 73 cases of police harassment, 30 cases of rape, 16 cases of stripping, and four cases of sodomy have been allegedly committed in police stations across the country.

Out of total 1,100 cases of torture, in 230 cases the victims were tortured in jails, while in 387 cases the place of abuse were police stations.

The monthly breakdown of police torture cases shows that 57 cases were reported in January, 32 in February, 37 in March, 62 in April, 50 in May, 128 in June, 138 in July, 185 in August, 113 in September, 113 in October, 100 in November and 85 during December, 2004.

The city-wise breakup of the data shows that 217 cases of police torture were reported in Lahore, 148 in Karachi and 21 cases in Rawalpindi.-PPI