MULTAN, March 26: Two different inquiries into the Mahmoodkot police ‘encounter’ that claimed two lives have been completed here on Tuesday.

Muzaffargarh district’s Mahmoodkot police shot dead Shahid Chandia and Muhammad Akram, claiming that they were hardened criminals, on March 7 in an encounter.

However, the families of the deceased alleged that Mahmoodkot police SHO Azmatullah Gurmani and his team had killed Shahid and Akram in cold blood with the support of some local influentials.

The Punjab IGP had directed SSP Dr Arif Mushtaq to probe the matter while Muzaffargarh district and sessions judge had appointed Civil Judge Yasser Nadeem to hold a judicial inquiry.

The inquiry officers recorded statements of the families and neighbours of the deceased at mauza Zor and mauza Haji Shah where the‘encounter’ took place. Hundreds of people were present during the proceedings, and they chanted slogans against the police. It is learnt that the police station concerned had stopped hundreds of other people at Pul Jakhari from recording their versions.

Civil Judge Yasser Nadeem revisited the site of ‘encounter’ on Monday to prepare a map of the area, which police labelled ‘kutcha area.’ The judge informed the heirs that he would submit his findings to the district and sessions judge by March 27.

The SSP was given ten days on March 13 to submit his report to the higher-ups. Findings of his probe are yet to be made public.

After the incident, Muzaffargarh District Police Officer Tariq Masood Yasin had been transferred to Sargodha after serving for only a month in the district. However, Inspector Azmatullah Gurmani is still working as SHO of the Mahmoodkot police station. The bereaved families have alleged that the SHO was hurling threats of more shootouts to teach them a lesson.

When contacted, police station’s clerk Muhammad Husain Chan told this correspondent that the SHO was on a routine patrol of the area.

It is learnt that SSP Tariq Masood Yasin had awarded Rs20,000 cash prize to SHO Azmatullah after the ‘encounter,’ and asked him to ‘keep it up.’