Incidents of prisoners’ deaths in police custody are as old as the police department itself
LAHORE: According to a news report, police officials in jails across Sindh charge prisoners to unlock handcuffs tied tight enough to cut deep into their wrists.
Before court appearances, prisoners have to bribe the police officials to be able to have their hands freed. This is one among the many reasons why the police department has earned notoriety over the years.
Where police reforms talk of improving the over-all service structure of the force, less than the needed attention is given to rights and necessities of the prisoners and towards reprimanding the police personnel who treat them brutally.
Incidents of prisoners’ deaths in police custody are as old as the police department itself, yet prisoners bribing jail officials and police personnel is relatively a lesser known torture tactic of the police force.
Provincial ministries of prisons must take notice of the matter, whereas the federal government while carrying out the paperwork for police reforms must cater to the issue of inhumane treatment of prisoners.
Shahmeer Habib
Published in The Express Tribune, March 1st, 2019.
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