Prison Food: Jail torture plea

The prisoner says he was tortured after he told the media that he had found human flesh in the jail food.

LAHORE:

An additional district and sessions judge on Tuesday directed the Kot Lakhpat station house officer (SHO) to record the statement of a prisoner who claims to have been tortured. The same officer had told the court he found no basis for the prisoner’s claims.

Judge Musharraf Hassan Sumra had earlier sought the SHO’s comments on a petition filed by Dr Faheem Raza, who claimed to have been tortured by the jail superintendent, deputy superintendent and doctor because he refused to stay silent about the discovery of a human finger in his food.

The SHO, however, told the court that he had investigated the prisoner’s claims and he believed his injuries had occurred before he was imprisoned. However, the court directed him to record the petitioner’s statement.

The prisoner says that after he told the media that he had found human flesh in the jail food, he was shifted to a separate cell, deprived of food and sleep for several days, and had his toe nails pulled out as punishment.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 25^th, 2011.