‘Fake police encounter’: Court directs registration of murder case against cops

Widow alleges her husband was tortured to death during custody

RAWALPINDI:

The Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench on Thursday directed the police to register a murder case against four policemen for allegedly torturing a man to death and later covering the incident up by staging a “fake encounter”.

The LHC Judge, Abdul Sami Khan, also directed the city police officer to record the statement of the widow of Abdul Haq, who was allegedly shot dead by four Saddar Bairuni policemen on July 3, 2015.

The court also directed the police to start proceedings against the accused in accordance with the law.

Advocate Qaiser Abbas Shah, who represented Sabiha Bibi, the petitioner and wife of the deceased, pleaded before the court that his client’s husband was arrested by the Saddar Bairuni police in connection with a robbery that occurred at the house, Saith Azam. Azam’s son Hamza Azam was killed during the robbery.

The petitioner said that the police took her husband into custody as suspect.

She alleged that Haq died in custody due to police torture.

The widow further alleged that the police later staged a “fake encounter” to cover up the incident.

The petitioner pleaded before the court to direct the police to register a second FIR against Saddar Bairuni SHO Inspector Malik Muhammad Yar and three sub-inspectors Khalil Bhatti, Jahangir Bhatti and Ammad for killing her husband.

Advocate Hassan Raza Pasha appeared before the court on behalf of the accused officials and argued that the police had already registered an FIR of the killing in the “police encounter”.

He said that the second FIR could not be registered in the case.

Pasha further argued that a superintendent of police also held an inquiry on complaint of the petitioner and found no proof against the accused police officers.

Advocate Shah, on the other hand, said that in the first FIR, the police had mentioned Haq as an accused who was shot dead allegedly by his “accomplices”.

He said that according to the autopsy report, Haq sustained six bullets on his back from various range.

While talking about the inquiry held by the superintendent police, Shah said that the police officer asked the complainant to produce witnesses to corroborate her claim that the police had killed her husband while in their custody.

He said that the complainant had five witnesses who saw Haq in police custody.

Shah said that the complainant, however, did not produce the witnesses before the superintendent police as they would be produced before a court of law.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th,  2016.