GUJRANWALA, Nov 2: An additional district and sessions judge on Friday ordered medical examination of two prisoners who appeared before the court and complained that jail authorities had tortured them on Thursday night.
A DHQ Hospital’s medical board examined the prisoners the same day and reported back to the court confirming that the prisoners had been tortured on which Judge Muhammad Saleem Opal ordered Prisons Department high-ups to take action against the delinquent officials.
Amanullah has been incarcerated Barrack No 7 in a narcotics case for the past one year. Deputy Superintendent Yasir Khan and Assistant Superintendent Tariq and other officials tortured him allegedly because he had refused to pay them gratification. Later, he was made to stand handcuffed the whole night along with another prisoner, Mahmood Ahmad, and were subsequently shifted to Chakki No 2 of the jail.
The inmates went on hunger strike to protest the jail authorities’ manhandling. Luckily, they had to appear before the court in connection with their trial the next day. This gave them an opportunity to tell their sordid tale to the judge, who promptly addressed their grievance on the same day.
Akbar, the brother of one of the victims, said he would get a case registered against the officials concerned.
Jail Superintendent Sikandar Hayat denied that the inmates were manhandled or handcuffed for the whole night.
He said the jail officials had seized drugs from Amanullah’s possession during a search operation on which he and his fellow inmate resisted and a jail official was also injured in the ensuing scuffle.
The superintendent said the same medical board had also examined the injured jail official along with the captives.