MULTAN, March 12: The family of Shahid Chandia, who was killed in an ‘encounter’ by Mahmood Kot police a few days ago, staged a protest demonstration against highhandedness of the law-enforcers.

The Mahmood Kot police had claimed to have killed two ‘dacoits’, Shahid Chandia and Mohammed Akram, on March 7 in a shootout. The police further claimed that some of their accomplices had managed to escape.

Inspired by the performance of his subordinates, Muzaffargarh district police officer Tariq Masood Yasin rushed to Mahmood Kot and held a ‘prize-giving’ ceremony only after a few hours of the ‘encounter’.

However, the relatives of Shahid, refuting the police claim, protested against the police on Wednesday in front of the local press club. They said SHO Azmatullah Gurmani had been after the life of Shahid since the latter had filed a habeas corpus petition for the recovery of his father, Mohammed Khursheed, from the former’s custody in September 2002.

Khursheed, a retired schoolteacher, told Dawn that landlord Ijaz Khar forcibly took away his tractor and a car in December 1998, when he refused to give the car for his personal use.

He said his son lodged a complaint with the Mahmood Kot police, and the law-enforcers later recovered the vehicles from the landlord’s house. However, when he along with his son went to the police station to get back the vehicles, the SHO asked them to withdraw the case against Ijaz otherwise he would not hand them over the vehicles.

Upon this, they contacted the then Muzaffargarh district police chief Saeed Ahmad, who directed the SHO to hand over the vehicles to the owners without delay. The SHO obeyed the orders, but threatened them with dire consequences.

On Aug 24, 2002, Azmatullah who was working as Muzaffargarh city SHO, raided the house of Khursheed and arrested him. At this, Shahid Chandia filed a petition with the Multan Bench of the Lahore High Court for the recovery of his father.

Ordering release of Khursheed on a bailiff’s report, the court observed in his order: “I am convinced that the arrest of Khursheed appeared to be tainted with malice.” The judge reportedly also admonished the SHO for his highhandedness.

Shahid’s act of moving the court, further enraged Azmat and he found an opportunity to give a lesson to his family when he was again posted as Mahmood Kot SHO.

On March 7, the police besieged the outhouse of Khursheed where Shahid and a guest, Akram, were sleeping. Azmat awoke them and asked them to run for life. When the young men were to run, the police opened fire on them.

Khursheed alleged that later the police entered his house and beat up even women and children and took away whatever they deemed valuable.

He urged the IGP to order an inquiry into the incident.

Meanwhile, the police have also named Khursheed and his other sons as ‘absconding outlaws’ who had managed to escape after the shootout. However, the high court granted them amnesty on Wednesday against any police action.