Prisoners in handcuffs terrorise magistrate

Attack raises further concerns about security at city’s courts.

LAHORE:

Three men accused of dacoity and murder terrorised a judicial magistrate in his own courtroom at the District Courts on Saturday, adding another layer of insecurity to the already uneasy atmosphere at the courts in the city.

Magistrate Kaleem Aslam Awan hid in the bathroom in his courtroom as the three handcuffed men – one of whom was armed with a razor blade – banged on the door demanding he come out, said court reader Muhammad Shafique, who was with the magistrate at the time.

The attackers were eventually overpowered by lawyers – with no help from the police – and no one was hurt. But the attack follows several other incidents of violence and threat of violence at the courts which had prompted strikes by lawyers in protest at lack of security.

On Saturday, the magistrate had just conducted the hearing of a case involving two accused, Naeem Ahmed and Rehan Akram, said Shafique. They were walking out of the courtroom when the accused suddenly turned around, scared, and told the judge that three armed men were coming to kill them.

Then three men – identified as Amir Riaz, Waqas and Azam  in handcuffs appeared at the entrance to the courtroom, said Shafique, adding that one of them then said in Punjabi: “Gher lo ainoo” (Surround him).

“I and the magistrate then ran into the bathroom and locked it from the inside. They kept banging on the doors, saying ‘Open up you coward!’” Shafique said.

Azam later denied carrying a blade or trying to attack the magistrate, saying that he had been going after Naeem Ahmed, who had been disrespectful to his wife when she came to visit him at the District Courts.

Sub Inspector Raza Nasir Hussain said that he saw Azam demand Rs500 as ‘jagga’ [tribute] from Naeem Ahmed and then started chasing him after the latter refused. He said that Ahmed had run into the courtroom to escape and had also banged on the bathroom door trying to get in so he could be safe from Azam.

Shafique, however, insisted that the attackers had specifically gone after Awan and not tried to harm Naeem Ahmed.

Farman Ahmed, another court staffer, said that the police had not done their job. He said that a police official named Saleem who had brought Naeem Ahmed and Rehan Akram to court had watched the whole incident “as a silent spectator”. He said that he ran to other police officials for help. “They said that if the policeman who brought the accused to court wasn’t doing anything, why should they,” he said.

A first information report was later registered on Shafique’s complaint at Lower Mall police station against Amir Riaz, Azam, Waqas and Sub Inspector Muhammad Aslam under Sections 353, 186, 342 and 427 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act. The FIR stated that the accused had entered the courtroom carrying knives and had tried to take the judge hostage.

Security at the city’s courts has been a major issue since two murder accused were gunned down in the presence of an additional district and sessions judge at the Sessions Court a few weeks ago. Lawyers subsequently went on strike for several days demanding that the government tighten security at the courts.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19th, 2011.