For killing suspect: Three police razakars jailed for life

Judge orders convicts to pay Rs.200,000 as compensation to the legal heirs of the deceased.

LAHORE: An additional district and sessions judge convicted three police volunteers (razakars) to life in prison for torturing to death a young man who was accused of stealing musical equipment.

Judge Muhammad Wajid Minhas awarded life imprisonment to Khurram Masih, Saddique Masih and Babar Masih, who are accused of killing Ahsan Haider.

The judge ordered the convicts to pay Rs.200,000 as compensation to the legal heirs of the deceased who will spend a further four months in prison if the amount is not paid.

One of the convicts, Khurram Masih, in his statement, said that the deceased had taken a loan of Rs50,000 from him. Khurram added when he demanded the money back, Ahsan, in cahoots with the police, had him booked in a false case.

An FIR was registered by Riaz Hussain, the father of deceased, at the Iqbal Town police station in August 2011. He stated his son had been in the employment of Khurram Masih for four years.

He added the latter accused his son of stealing musical equipment and wanted to take the deceased to the police station for further investigation. When Ahsan failed to turn up at home for three days, the worried father reached the academy of the convict.

He entered and found that Khurram Masih, Usman Masih, Babar Masih, Siddique Masih, Tariq and another suspect had tied Ahsan to a charpoy and were torturing him. Riaz’s son later succumbed to his injuries.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1^st, 2017.