Contempt of court: Women attack police official in court

Akram was arrested by police on charges of abducting his older brother Shams, torturing him four months ago.

GUJRANWALA: A group of women from accused Akram’s family beat up a police official after they saw Akram being presented before the court in a wheelchair on Tuesday.

Sambrial resident Akram was arrested by the police on charges of abducting his older brother Shams Pervaiz and torturing him four months ago. According to Akram’s family, the charges were entirely fabricated. “Pervaiz’s wife Shahida accused Akram of kidnapping him, even though her family is responsible for his absence,” said Akram’s sister Bushra. “Akram had confronted her family about abducting Pervaiz and that is when she filed the case,” she said.

Following the court hearing on Tuesday, Akram’s sister’s  submitted an application for his medical checkup and doctors have stated that Akram was tortured by the police. “Shahida paid off a police official to arrest my brother and he was taken in and tortured without any proof,” said Akram’s older sister Kulsoom bibi.Akram was arrested by inspector Samuel Masih, who allegedly tortured him for a week. “There are definite signs of torture and we are waiting on the medical report to confirm this,” said DHQ Medical Superintendent (MS) Dr Zafar Qureshi.

On Tuesday, when Akram was presented before the court his family became enraged when they saw him being brought in a wheelchair. “It was like a street fight. The women lunged at the police official and began beating him with shoes and hurling abuses at him,” said eyewitness Abdullah. Abdullah told reporters that even though seven women were involved in the beating, police officials had filed a case against 43 people. “They implicated every one of Akram’s relatives for disrupting the court proceedings,” Abdullah said. Samuel Masih said that the family had attacked him without cause. “I arrested him because he abducted his own brother and has not revealed where he is keeping him,” Masih said. Police officials categorically denied all charges of police torture and said that Akram was injured when he was arrested.

On seeing him in a wheelchair, his mother and sisters flared up and shouted slogans against the police and attacked the police as well as court officials. “The women continued to protest after they were dismissed from the court and broke two windows of the building with a brick.

“This is what the police does. They take a man in for questioning and a week later he is in a wheel chair,” said Akram’s mother.

MS Qureshi, who was also present at the court to give a statement rescued Masih from being attacked and took him to the court waiting room. A total of 43 cases have been registered against Akram’s family and the accused has been taken back to the prison.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th,  2011.