KARACHI, June 12: Perhaps no one in the police department is concerned why 43-year-old ASI Shaikh Mohiuddin committed suicide while on duty in Lyari last month.
Some associates of the deceased policeman say he had been suffering from a mental ailment, but his seniors didn’t appear to have acknowledged his mental state, or perhaps despite knowing his condition got rid of him from his previous posting when requisitions for surrendering personnel for Lyari were received recently.
On May 25, ASI Shaikh Mohiuddin shot himself in the head when he was on duty at one of the newly created police posts in the sensitive area in the limits of the Kalri police station.Initially, it was reported that a stray bullet hit him causing his death, but his associates posted at the picket narrated another story, saying that the ASI shot himself in the head. Shaikh Mohiuddin was the father of eight.
The incident brings to light the state of affairs of the police department, where there is no proper health care system and if an on-duty officer falls victim to an ailment such as mental illness, without family support (acknowledgement of his mental status and willingness for treatment) a low-ranking policeman is most likely to meet the same fate as Mohiuddin.
It is equally essential that the senior police officers are capable of recognizing or at least feeling that any of their subordinates is acting strangely and should be sent for medical consultation.
As many as 140 policemen who were posted in Lyari for considerable periods of time were transferred and were replaced by the same number of personnel from the city’s three zones.
The move came following the takeover of the new provincial government, which showed its determination to resolve the longstanding gang war in troubled Lyari.
Following the incident of the ASI’s suicide, a number of policemen have submitted applications seeking leave or transfer from Lyari.
However, as revealed by a police officer requesting anonymity, the 140 policemen are an unwilling batch of cops who have been surrendered by their respective zones because they were more of a liability than part of the willing workforce.
“Chances are that with the passage of time, these 140 policemen would join forces with the local gangsters, perhaps even earlier,” observed the officer.
“The morale of the Lyari police force is low. The force here needs some kind of incentive,” observed new SP Lyari Raja Umar Khattab.
“The desired results could not be achieved with the available resources at hand. I have given my submission to the seniors and am hoping my request will be fulfilled,” the SP remarked.
“I have been told that I will have a free hand in policing Lyari,” he told Dawn, adding that political parties should also play their due role in the resolution of the issue by addressing the socio-economic ills of the area.
