HYDERABAD: A lawyers’ group has issued a damning fact finding report on Hyderabad police’s role in a recent ‘staged’ encounter in which a suspect was gunned down following murder of a young girl, and custodial torture of ailing brother of an alleged pickpocket, who died shortly after release.
Speaking at a joint news conference at the local press club here on Thursday, Ali Ahmed Palh advocate, Inderjeet, Sooba Bhatti, Baghi Soomro and others of the Sindh Human Rights Defenders Network (SHRDN) said their findings revealed an “illegal economy is being run in the area of Phulelli police station where policemen are grooming juvenile offenders,” and using them for their own motives.
They said that those juvenile offenders were trained in pick pocketing and minor offenses, and then used as informers to lay hands on others.
Sharing details of the death of Danish Sheikh, brother of an alleged pickpocket, Danyal Shaikh, Barrister Ali Palh said he was picked up on Oct 21 from his house by Bhitai Nagar police station as proxy for Danyal in Juryal Shah locality in Tando Mir Mehmood.
Likewise, one Saud was picked up in lieu of his brother Noman. Two suspects, Abid and Sherry were also detained. Their illegal detention by police was well established.
He said that one Noman got Saud and Danish released for Rs50,000 and Rs45,000, respectively. “Rs50,000 were arranged by Saud’s wife Ms Sana and Danish’s family paid Rs45,000 to Noman. Noman demanded another Rs30,000 from Danish’s family. “Noman is running a dhanda and there are many Nomans in Hyderabad who are busy in this trade,” he claimed.
Ali said notables belonging to Talpur and Bhurgari families told his group that “an illegal economy is being run by police by Phulelli police” adding that other residents also came down hard on police.
Palh said: “Juvenile offenders are groomed by police and later used to get raids conducted on the houses of suspects on right or wrong information”.
“We have learnt that the business is thriving,” he said and maintained that one Deen Mohammad Leghari, known as Mama, was patronising that all dirty business and handled everything. He said that some notables named Mama directly.
Reverting to Danish’s case, he said that the man was a tuberculosis patient and was let off on Oct 23 after having been subjected to torture in police custody.
He (Danish) filed a complaint before the DIG Police of Hyderabad Range, but to no avail. “When his family took him to the Hyderabad SSP’s office, he vomited blood there. He remained admitted to the Jinnah hospital of Karachi. After being discharged from the hospital, he died at home,” he remarked.
Palh disclosed that there was no evidence of torture on the body, but there were confirmed reports that he was tortured during illegal custody.
He alleged he was tortured first at Bhitai Nagar police station and then he, along with other suspects, was taken to a desolate area near Indus river in Hyderabad district’s limits where he was again beaten.
Palh said his body could be exhumed on family’s request for a post mortem which was not conducted yet. He said that case directly attracted sections 302, 316 and 342 of PPC against concerned police. “We met SSP Amjad Ahmed Sheikh who conceded that he has received reports from Phulelli area against police,” he said.
About a Nov 2 encounter by Market police, he claimed that it was purely a ‘fake encounter’ even going by the own version of police.
“Police say the DNA reports of the suspect matched with the victim’s. Firstly, DNA’s findings are not done so quickly. Secondly, if the DNA of suspect [Osama Qureshi] is done, it means he was in police custody,” contended Ali.
He said Osama Qureshi was gunned down by police following the murder of a seven-year-old girl, Zalay, daughter of Faisal Qureshi in Amil Colony. The girl was killed by Osama allegedly on Oct 31.
“Eye witnesses said Osama was picked up during the girl’s funeral and a video recording also proved it,” he said and added that according to police’s FIR, Osama received 12-13 bullets and still the pistol remained in his hand. “It is surprising that even after sustaining 12 bullets, the pistol did not fall from his hand,” said Ali.
According to Osama’s sister Ayesha, Palh said, his brother was connected with the Faisal’s family and the Faisal’s wife was involved in the girl’s murder.
“Osama used to frequent her house to administer injection to the girl’s mother who was an addict,” he said, quoting Ayehsa. He stated that both the cases required judicial inquiries.
Advocate Inderjeet complained that when Osama’s crime was claimed, even media was not reporting their case. “We see banners being hoisted in praise of police officer’s perceived bravery. What kind of bravery is this when such police officer can’t ensure justice to families?” he asked.
Palh said to a questioner that their team was not allowed access to Faisal Qureshi’s wife to respond to Ayesha’s charges. Osama’s sister claimed her brother’s mobile phone, which contained conversation between him and Faisal’s family, was missing.
According to Baghi Soomro, Osama Qureshi’s family was still facing anger of Faisal’s family even after killing of Osama.
Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2022