Labourer ‘hangs himself’ while in police custody

Family alleges cops murdered Faisal who was arrested on robbery charges


Our Correspondent June 25, 2017
PHOTO: AFP/FILE

LAHORE: A 22-year-old labourer has died under mysterious circumstances in the custody of the CIA Civil Lines Police.

The deceased, identified as Faisal worked, at a warehouse called MI Centre in Ichra. On Wednesday night, he was at work when a police team reportedly picked him from his workplace and took the man to an undisclosed location.

Qaiser, the elder brother of Faisal, told The Express Tribune that the family reached his brother’s workplace to inquire over his whereabouts when the latter was unreachable. However, nobody knew where the worker had disappeared to.

“We were perturbed and frustrated by the fact that he mysteriously went missing,” Qaiser added. “We kept on searching and calling his number which finally turned back on the next day.” His younger brother called the phone immediately and someone claiming to be a police officer picked up at the call at other end. However, the man refused to disclose his name, but said Faisal was in custody and would reach home soon. He ‘policeman’ disconnected the call immediately afterwards.

The family called again after two hours on the same number and the person who received the call started abusing and misbehaving. He warned the brothers not to call again.

Unaware of Faisal’s condition of whereabouts, the brothers tried everything in their power to reach their missing sibling.

All of sudden, they received information that Faisal had died. A police official called to say that the man had committed suicide by hanging himself with a scarf. “The news fell like a bomb-shell on us. We were really shocked and rushed to the Ghaziabad Police Station,” said Qaiser.



He added different police officials were making contradictory statements over the circumstances of the death. He doubted that his brother committed suicide. “He has been murdered by the police,” Qaiser alleged.

Qaiser claimed that his brother had never been nominated in a case or arrested, adding the police had not as much as shown up at their doorstep.

The brother said Faisal’s “murder”, just a few days before Eidul Fitr, was tormenting for the family. He demanded justice from the authorities and said the family had filed in an application with the Ghaziabad police for the registration of an FIR.

DSP CIA Civil Lines Mian Shafqat said the deceased was a robbery suspect and was allegedly involved in three incidents spreading across Ichra, Sabzazar and Ghaziabad.

Ghaziabad SHO Qamar Abbass said the police were awaiting the medico-legal and autopsy report for further action.

Saroop Ijaz, a rights activist and author of the Human Rights Watch report called This Crooked System-Police Abuse and Reform in Pakistan, commented on custodial deaths. He said these incidents were occurring with an alarming regularity. He lamented the lack of investigation in such cases and said there was not a single example of a police official or officer being found guilty.

To avoid such incidents in future, he said fair, transparent and thorough investigations were needed and those founding guilty must be punished to eliminate the sense of invincibility among police officials. He said even when an official is found guilty, such cases are seen as departmental negligence.

“Such deaths must be treated as a criminal offence and the FIR should be registered under Section 302 (murder) of the CrPC rather than 155-C of the Police Order.

He also slammed the practice of police of not informing a detainee’s family of the arrest or hiding their whereabouts. He said such an act was a violation of The Constitution of Pakistan 1973 and fundamental rights enshrined in it. Saroop added it was also in violation of the right to a fair trial.

Former additional IG Sarmad Saeed Khan said police usually avoided torture that could lead to deaths. According to him, custodial death could not be justified. “Even if a victim dies of natural causes, the police is responsible for providing medical facilities.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25th, 2017.

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