LAHORE, Nov 15: Two additional district and sessions judges on Friday ordered registration of cases against five police officials who had allegedly harassed and tortured innocent people.
In the first instance, the court directed Allama Iqbal Town SHO to register a case against Sub-Inspector Abdul Shakoor and constables Amjad Ali and Allah Ditta, who had allegedly beaten up one Asim Qadeer and deprived him of his motorbike and some other articles.
Mr Asim had complained that returning from work on Oct 28, he was intercepted by the accused constables in Allama Iqbal Town area, who allegedly asked him to pay Rs200. He was beaten up when he refused to pay the money. He lost a tooth and fractured a leg as a result.
In the meantime, SI Abdul Shakoor came to the place and took Mr Asim to the police station. Mr Asim was deprived of his motorbike, Rs6,000 in cash and cellular phone and later shifted to the emergency ward of a hospital nearby.
The complainant said he had filed an application with the SHO of Allama Iqbal Town Police Station for action against the three officials but to no avail.
The court summoned the SHO concerned and directed him to register the case.
Meanwhile, another court directed the district police officer (DPO) to register a case against the SHO and an ASI of Wahdat Colony Police Station, who had allegedly tortured a woman and her husband and deprived them of valuables.
Complainant Nighat Mubashir alleged that for the last one month, the accused police officials had been threatening her husband with dire consequences if he did not withdraw a petition he had filed against them in the Lahore High Court.
Ms Nighat claimed that on Nov 11, the accused forced their way into her house in the company of five constables and beat up the whole family including her two kids. Later, they searched her house without warrants and took her husband to the police station, where he had been illegally detained since then. She further alleged that the police officials also snatched five Tola gold and Rs10,000 cash from her.
The judge told her that the matter of recovery of her husband was beyond his jurisdiction and asked her to file a petition for habeas corpus with the district and sessions judge. The court however issued orders for registration of a case against the accused police officials.