Lack of coordination: FIR sought against ‘meddling’ cops

Special Branch officer was detained by policemen for taking pictures of SHO’s car


Rana Yasif January 25, 2016
PHOTO: AFP

LAHORE: An additional district and sessions judge on Monday sought comments from the Naseerabad SHO in a petition filed by a Special Branch officer, seeking the registration of a case against six policemen for allegedly providing shelter to suspected terrorists at a guest house. Petitioner Imran Khan told the court that the policemen, including an SHO, were protecting terrorists, running a guest house for immoral activities and had intervened in an ongoing investigation.“A few days back, the Special Branch received information that a foreign terrorist was present at a guest house in Gulbarge III. I visited the guest house and started questioning its manager. He denied that any Afghan citizen was living there. I saw a car parked at the garage and asked him about its owner. He told me that it belonged to Naseerabad SHO Saleem Sindhu. I took pictures of the vehicle with the mobile phone. The manager then called up Sindhu. The SHO directed the manager not to let me leave. He also sent a police team to arrest me,” Khan said.

He said SI Orangzeb and four unidentified policemen had soon arrived there and taken him in custody. “I told them that I worked for the Special Branch. I also showed them my service card. However, they searched me and snatched my mobile phone, which contained sensitive information in its memory,” he said.

Later, he said police registered an FIR against him. The following day he was presented before a judicial magistrate, who quashed the FIR and acquitted him. Khan said he then visited the police station and sought the registration of an FIR against the policemen. “I also demanded the memory card. However, they did not accept any of my requests,” Khan said. He requested the court to direct the SHO to register the FIR.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26th,  2016.

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