Viral video: Another SHO accused of torture

Man in video claims official beat him for around eight hours, urinated on him

MANSEHRA: Days after police launched an inquiry into the death of a man who had allegedly been tortured while in police custody, another man came forward on Friday, accusing a SHO and five of his subordinates of brutally torturing him.

In a video message sent to newsmen on Friday, the man claimed that he had been tortured in police detention.

Identifying himself as Mehbood Arshad, a resident of Bherkund village, he claimed that four days ago, SHO Khaki Wajid Khan and around five to seven of his subordinates came calling at his home.

Arshad claimed that he was dragged to the police van and taken to the Khaki Police Station. He was told that he was needed for a probe into a robbery at a store.

However, Arshad said that when he refused to give a false confession, the SHO allegedly blindfolded him, stripped him and beat him mercilessly with bamboo sticks for around eight hours.

After beating him, Arshad claimed that the SHO urinated over him and threatened to kill him if he ever disclosed what had happened.

When contacted, Arshad said that he was neither produced before a magistrate, which was mandatory nor was his detention ever recorded at the police station.  He demanded legal action against the SHO and his subordinates who allegedly tortured him.

Meanwhile, police sources said that Khaki SHO Wajid Khan had been transferred from the precinct two days ago and Javed Khan had been posted as the new SHO.

When approached for comments, Javed denied arresting anyone named Arshad or subjecting them to torture. The DIG has ordered an inquiry into the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 11^th, 2017.