MULTAN, July 30: On the orders of the Lahore High Court, the Jalalpur Pirwala Saddar police registered a murder case on Friday against four people, including two police officials, for killing a man in an alleged fake encounter.
Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry of the LHC's Multan bench had passed the orders on the writ petition of Iqbal Mai, the sister of Muhammad Abbas, who was killed in the encounter in May last at Bait Qaiser area in Jalalpur Pirwala Saddar police station limits.
The police had claimed that Abbas alias Basu was a notorious criminal of the area, who was used to criminally assault women while committing dacoities. Two of his alleged accomplices, Mushtaq and Afzal, were also claimed to be apprehended after the shootout that resulted in Basu's death.
The LHC had also directed the Multan district police officer to hold an inquiry into the matter by a senior police official. DPO Hamid Mukhtar Gondal has appointed additional SP Muhammad Inkasaar Khan to do the job.
Meanwhile, the report of a judicial probe carried out by the Jalalpur Pirwala's additional district and sessions judge is also likely to be announced in a few days.
DPO: Police officials incur more losses in encounters with criminals because of negligence, which often allows the latter to flee. This was claimed by DPO Hamid Mukhtar Gondal at a meeting he chaired on Friday to revise the police patrol plan in the city. Senior police officials, including circles' heads, also attended the meeting.
The DPO was quoted in a press note as saying the situation would now improve, as the government had provided the force with modern arms and new vehicles. The field force would soon be trained on how to use the modern weaponry, he added.
Elaborating on the new plan, the DPO directed the officials of the Flying Squads to move in the groups of four - two carrying revolvers and others either having sub-machine guns, G-3 or kalashnikovs.
He said in no way the police official be sent on patrol and in case of any untoward incident (with the official), the flying squad inspector would be held responsible, he warned.
He directed the senior police officers to complete all the inquiries pending with them against the negligent officials within seven days in order to ward off the 'black sheep' in the department. He also ordered a strict action against graffiti writers and people collecting alms (under religious slogans).
Contrary to the DPO's claim that the law-enforcers suffer more losses in the encounters compared to the outlaws, Multan Range DIG police Tallat Mahmood Tariq had said while briefing IGP Sadaatullah Khan that in 31 police encounters during the last two years in the range only a constable had been killed while two others injured whereas the number of killed outlaws was 35.