Man who ‘beat up’ traffic wardens granted bail

Lawyer argued the suspect is under mental stress due to financial and family issues

KARACHI: A judicial magistrate granted on Tuesday bail to a man who allegedly beat up traffic police personnel in January this year over a parking issue.

South magistrate Kaleemullah Kalwar ordered the release of the accused, identified as Abdul Shafiq, after furnishing bail of Rs20,000 and a surety bond of  similar amount.



Shafiq's case surfaced on January 11 after news channels aired videos of him scuffling with traffic policemen near the PIDC traffic signal. Initially, it was reported by the media that he was tortured by law enforcers and was locked up.

The narrative spread rapidly and a large crowd gathered at the Civil Lines police station where Shafiq was detained and protested there. Later in the evening, the suspect was released on personal surety apparently due to the pressure from political circles.

At the moment, the police officials had pledged that an inquiry would be launched into the incident and the guilty party would be held accountable. However, the inquiry led to a shift in the story as CCTV footage showed that Shafiq hit a policeman soon after the latter asked him not to park his bike near a building.

The fight escalated as the suspect attacked other policemen who came to their colleague's rescue. After the video evidence surfaced, the suspect was taken into custody again and subsequently remanded into custody. On Tuesday, the suspect's attorney moved a bail application before the magistrate presiding over the trial.



The attorney claimed that his client is under mental distress due to the problems in his family. The accused is an associate engineer yet he is jobless, the lawyer said, adding that his worsening financial condition has forced him into depression. According to the lawyer, the policeman had humiliated his client after his client requested him that he would come back in a short time. The suspect, as per the claim, argued that if it was a no-parking zone then why other vehicles were parked there. The policeman allegedly hurled abuses, to which the accused got infuriated and started beating him up.

The lawyer pleaded to the judge to grant his client bail, claiming that the accused's family was already living hand to mouth and the re-arrest has added to their woes only. After hearing the arguments, the judge observed that the sections which the suspect is charged with are bailable, hence, he may be released after submission of surety.

The case was earlier registered under sections 353, 337-A, 472, 186 of the Pakistan Penal Code and also read with anti-terrorism act. However, the anti-terrorism clause was dropped later.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2016.