Yet another incident of policemen selling liquor reported

SHO says case has been forwarded to higher authorities

LAHORE: Yet another incident of policemen selling liquor was reported in the city and the footage went viral on social media on Sunday.

In the footage made from a cell phone, two police officials can be seen riding a police motorcycle and handing over a bottle of liquor to a man, who hides it underneath his shirt before leaving. The two police officials seen are Haider and Abdul Majeed, who belong to Race Course police station.



Race Course police station SHO Shabbir Awan told The Express Tribune that they have forwarded the case to the higher authorities and they will decide. He said that Haider and Abdul Majeed have been called by the higher authorities to record their statements. The facts about the incident would come forth after an inquiry and action as per the law would be taken if they are found guilty, he added.

This is not the first incident in which policemen were allegedly involved in the business of liquor-selling. Previously, other videos have also emerged showing police officials carrying/buying bottles of liquor from hotels. In many other cases, police officials took bribe by setting up police pickets outside hotels located on Davis Road, Mall Road and other roads of the city.

Apart from liquor-selling, the policemen were also found involved in other illegal activities. Around two weeks ago, a video had gone viral in which police officials were torturing and humiliating a citizen. A policeman hit the citizen in his face with his shoes.

In another video, an official of the Anti-Riot Force was shown making hostage and looting citizens in the limits of Sundar police station. The official deprived five men of their valuables and made them sit at the police picket for hours during the night. Later, one of the men escaped and came along with his friends to shoot a video of the crime the cop was committing.



After video went viral, the police official, long with his six accomplices, allegedly vandalised the house of the man. After a few days, an FIR was registered against the police official.

Subsequently, Punjab Inspector General of Police Arif Nawaz issued a notification about SOPs to prevent video recording and photography at police lines, police stations and police offices by any irrelevant person and also by police force without the permission of the competent authority.

According to the notification issued on August 21, some ‘irrelevant’ persons have presented false videos and pictures of different police offices and police stations without proper context. Therefore, taking selfies, pictures or recording video is banned inside police station. No one is allowed to record audio or video at the time of registration of FIR. It is also taken care of that no one is recording with secret camera installed at glasses, cap, button or pen, the notification adds.

If someone secretly manages to record a video, it should be deleted from their mobile-phones. Access of cameras or mobile-phones to suspects in lock-up should also be denied. Moreover, the IGP in the notification ordered that it was duty of CCPO, RPOs and DPOs to make ensure that these SOPs are followed upon.

A number of crime reporters from various media outlets had objected to the notification, claiming that it was a step to create hurdles in for them while doing their professional duties and a step to curb press freedom.

However, Punjab Police Public Relations Director Nayab Haider has said in a statement that the notification was not for the media but for general public and police officials. No instructions for media have been issued in the notification, he added.

Haider said that before this notification it was also mandatory to take permission for recording of sensitive installations due to security issues. The impression that the notification is against media persons is not correct, he said in the clarification.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2017.