Mob lynching: SC critical of police inaction

Prosecution Dept directed to submit report

LAHORE: A Supreme Court bench on Monday sought a detailed report about the Kot Radha Kishan incident from the Prosecution Department.

On November 4, 2014, a mob had beaten to death a Christian couple and burnt their bodies at a brick kiln where they had worked.

On Monday, the SC bench, headed by Justice Ejaz Ahmad Chaudhry, took up bail petitions filed by two men, Akram and Nisar, arrested in the wake of the incident.

Their lawyer told the court that police had accused them of damaging property. “They had no role in the murder of the couple. Despite that, they have been in prison for 10 months,” their counsel said. He requested the court to grant them bail.

Additional Prosecutor General Asjad Ghural opposed the request. He said that Akram and Nisar had incited the mob and were also involved in destroying property. “The joint investigation team found them actively involved in the incident,” he said.

“The 109 people being tried for the murders have petitioned the Lahore High Court (LHC) to change the trial court. The matter has been pending with the LHC. The trial of the suspects will move forward once the LHC has ruled on the application,” he said.

Justice Chaudhry remarked that it seemed that police inaction had been a factor in the tragedy.

“Had the policemen present at the scene fired shots in the air to disperse the mob, the lives of the Christian couple might have been saved. Even though the policemen had weapons, they stood by and did nothing. Police are unable these days to deal with even small groups of protesters that frequently block major roads, including The Mall. It is due to police inaction that commuters have to deal with frequent traffic jams,” he said. The court also criticised the coverage given by the media to such protests.

The additional prosecutor general told the court that there were only five policemen present at the scene. “There were 500 to 600 people in the mob.

The mob did not let the police team rescue the couple. They also beat up the policemen. Four of the policemen have been suspended from service and one has been dismissed,” he said.

Justice Chaudhry said that the policemen appeared to have fabricated the story to protect themselves. The additional prosecutor general requested the court for more time for concluding the arguments. The court accepted the request and adjourned the hearing for an indefinite period.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th, 2015.