Man kills two under trial prisoners at Gujjar Khan court

Police officials deny laxity in security, 7 cops suspended for negligence

RAWALPINDI: A man killed two under-trial-prisoners facing murder charges within the Gujjar Khan courts on Wednesday just as they exited the court room.

Muhammad Ramzan shot Muhammad Usman and Adnan Ahmed as they came out of a hearing before Additional District and Sessions Judge Aslam Gondal at around 10 am.

The firing within court premises created panic since it took place at a time when a large number of litigants, under-trial-prisoners were present in the area. Lawyers in the court, however, managed to overpower the alleged killer and handed him over to the Gujjar Khan police.

As a result of the attack, Adnan died on the spot while Usman was critically injured. He was first rushed to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Gujjar Khan. He was later referred to tertiary care hospitals in Rawalpindi but he died near Rawat while on his way to the garrison city.

The victims and the murderer both hail from Gulyana village within the remits of Gujjar Khan police. The victims were being tried in a murder case registered in February 2015. The men are charged with killing Ramazan’s brothers Ahsan and Majeed over a petty issue.

Later in the day, relatives of the two men blocked the GT Road outside the courts as they staged a protest against the killings and the lax security their relatives were provided.

They demanded the arrest other men who were involved in the murder apart from Ramazan.

The protestors also chanted slogans against the police for not providing enough security to the prisoners already facing murder charges.

They only ended the protest after local police assured the protesters that they would take strict action against the alleged killers.

Gujjar Khan police station SHO Nadeem Zaffar said that Ramazan had apparently shot the men to avenge the murder of his brothers.  He noted that the police had arrested the killer and had recovered a 30 bore pistol from his custody.

However, till the filing of this report, the FIR was not registered.

Asked about the security provided to under-trial-prisoners, the SHO said that the prisoners had been brought to the court from Adiala Jail amid tight security.

He added that security officials within the court were also vigilant, however, he suggested that the killer may have smuggled the weapon into court premises at night or in the evening.

Despite the fact that the killer had managed to bring a gun into the court complex, SHO Zaffar said that they had set up checkpoints on the entrance to the court where police personnel conduct a body search of everyone wishing to enter the complex.

City Police Officer Israr Ahmed Abbasi, however, suspended, seven police personnel including an ASI and a lady police constable for alleged negligence in their security duties.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20^th, 2017.