Abuse of power: Traders accuse police of brutality, harassment

A passer-by was injured in an altercation between an Elite Force squad and a shop worker

SARGODHA: Scores of shopkeepers led by the Anjuman-i-Tajiran staged a protest demonstration on Saturday against police after a man was injured in an altercation between an Elite Force squad and a clothing store worker.

Talking to newsmen at the demonstration, Attaullah said, “I was going to work on my motorbike around 7 am when an Elite Force team stopped me for a search at a picket near Fajro Chowk.”

He said he had provided his identity card and showed them his driving licence. “They kept questioning me as if I was a suspect for a crime. When I asked them to let me go, one of them became aggressive. He shoved me provocatively, abused me and then pulled out a gun.”

Attaullah said the policeman fired several shots in the air, startling people on the street. “Some people tried to intervene but the policemen would not listen to them.”

He said the policeman fired in the direction of the citizens who had gathered there, injuring a passer-by. He said the policemen then fled from the scene.

The traders chanted slogans against police and urged the chief minister and the DCO to take notice of the situation.

“This is not the first time a policeman has abused his authority,” said Anjuman-i-Tajiran president Muhammad Ishaq. “Scores of our workers are harassed by policemen every day. When they [police] find nothing incriminating on them, they continue to intimidate them in the hope that someone would cough up some money.”

Ishaq said such practices should not be allowed to continue. “The incident this morning caused a scare. It is unfortunate that our policemen are one of the biggest threats to public safety.”

Imtiaz Kulyar, another trader, said three workers at his shop had had their motorbikes taken away by policemen. “They were stopped for verification for their number plates. Despite having the required papers, they were deprived of their motorbikes because they could not afford to pay petty bribes demanded by the policemen.”

The protesters staged a sit-in at Fajro Chowk, demanding that DPO remove delinquent policemen from service.

Later, a delegation was invited to the DPO’s office. A spokesman for the DPO said the traders had been assured that the incident would be investigated and errant policemen would be taken to task.

The traders dispersed on receiving this assurance.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 10^th, 2016.