Policemen suspended for running torture cell in Khanpur

RPO ordered officials to submit inquiry report in five days

RAHIM YAR KHAN: Khanpur Regional Police Officer has suspended police officials involved in running a torture cell and for illegally detaining innocent citizens in the tehsil.

Officials told The Express Tribune on Wednesday that Khanpur Checkpost Head Sub Inspector Rana Muhammad Iqbal and other policemen had illegally detained 15 workers of a sugar cane factory a few days back and subjected them to electric shock in the cell. The police also thrashed them badly and demanded bribes from the families of the victims.

When the locals, including MNA Sheikh Fayyazuddin and MPA Chaudhry Ejaz Shafi Advocate, came to know of the incident, they rushed to the police station and requested Sub Inspector Iqbal to release the poor workers. However, despite repeated attempts the policemen did not released the detainees and kept torturing them in the cell.

Meanwhile, the locals approached Khanpur RPO and urged him to take action over the matter. The RPO investigated the matter and found that all the men were innocent and the sub inspector and his team had illegally detained them.

The RPO suspended Sub Inspector Rana Iqbal and other policemen and ordered DSP Mehar Nasir Saqib to conduct a detailed investigation in the matter and submit an inquiry report within five days.

The locals have urged the RPO to provide justice to the victims and award exemplary punishment to those policemen who were involved in the criminal act.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2016.