FAISALABAD:
Police resorted to tear gas shelling and baton charge on Monday to disperse an unruly crowd at a protest demonstration over the abduction and killing of a murder suspect allegedly by some policemen.
Over a dozen protesters and three policemen suffered minor injuries.
According to details, on the call of Anjuman-i-Tajiran, an action committee was formed to protest the death of Muhammad Shahid. A shutter down strike was observed in Toba Tek Singh.
The protesters carried hockey sticks, iron rods, clubs and forced closure of shops which had not respected the call for strike.
Students of several public and private schools boycotted classes and joined the protest.
The protesters chanted slogans against the police and demanded immediate arrest of police officials responsible for Shahid and dumping his body.
The street protest continued for six hours.
The protesters said they would continue to protest till Shahid’s body was recovered and handed over to the family.
Some of them threw stones at police and attacked them with sticks.
Traffic on all main roads of Toba Tek Singh remained suspended for hours and most education institutes were empty.
Abdul Kareem, one of the protesters, told The Express Tribune that Muhammad Sultan’s brother Muhammad Shahid was arrested for killing his wife Nasreen Bibi last week.He said Shahid was taken to a police station where he was beaten to death.
He said Sultan was called to the police station on Friday and asked to sign an abduction complaint.
He said he had asked them about Shahid and why he was being asked to sign the complaint but no one gave him a straight answer. He said on Saturday, he found out that his brother had died.
On receipt of information, Toba Tek Singh District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Shehzad Asif talked with protestors and representatives of Anjuman-i-Tahjiran and relatives of Muhammad Shahid and assured them that action would be taken against police officials who had abducted him.
Talking to The Express Tribune, City Toba Tek Singh Station House Officer (SHO) Zahid Hussain said Shahid had been abducted a few days ago by SI Muhammad Saeed Akhtar and his accomplices Constables Tasawwar Imran and Sajjad Hussain.
He said a team had been formed to find them.
The SHO said a case had been registered against the three officials under Section 365 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and had gone missing.
He said the police were trying to locate the three officials.
Toba Tek Singh District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Shehzad Asif said an unidentified body was found from Sargodha a few days ago.
“We believe that Shahid was taken to Sargodha where he was killed and his body was dumped.”
He said a police team had invited Sultan to identify the body. He said raids were being conducted to find his kidnappers.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 25th, 2014.
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