CTD nominates police constable Amjad in Ahsan killing case

Investigation reveals Ahsan died after a bullet fired at an alleged suspect by police struck him instead

KARACHI: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) completed the investigation pertaining to 19-month-old Ahsan's death, on Friday. It has concluded in its findings that the minor died from a bullet fired by constable Amjad.

Constable Amjad Khan, along with the head constable Pyar Ali and constables Khalid Iqbal and Abdul Samad, was accused of killing Ahsan who died in an alleged police encounter on April 16, near Safoora Chowrangi.

According to CTD intelligence SSP, Qamar Zaman, only Amjad was found to be responsible for Ahsan's death while the remaining three arrested police officials were not involved in the killing.

The custody of the four accused police officials was given to CTD for a four-day physical remand last month, on the orders of a local court.



Consequently, a case was filed against them at Sachal Police Station under sections 34 (common intention), 304 (intentional murder) and 324 (attempted murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code, on behalf of Ahsan's father, Kashif Sheikh. CTD had initiated investigating the case following this development.

Talking about the investigation, SSP Zaman said that SHO Sachal Police Station Javed Abro, head muharir and police party were assigned with snap checking duty on April 16, from 6pm to 8pm, near Mosamiyat. They were chasing after a suspect riding a motorcycle, on the complaint of a citizen, when the bullet fired by them at the suspect struck Ahsan, he added.

Ahsan's family was travelling in a rickshaw near Safoora Chowrangi at the time of the incident. The bullet passed through Ahsan's body, injuring his father, but his mother remained safe.

Previously, Ahsan's family had claimed that multiple shots were fired by the police, directed at them, refuting the arrested officials' claims that they were engaged in crossfire at the time of the incident.

However, according to SSP Zaman, only one empty bullet shell was found at the crime scene. Forensic analysis established that the bullet was fired from Amjad's weapon, he said.

SSP Zaman also said that one bullet was missing from Amjad's set, when each of the arrested police officials' bullet sets was examined. None of the bullets were found missing from the sets of the three others accused, he added.

Call detail records of the accused police officials and CCTV footage of the cameras installed near the crime scene were also analysed during the investigation. However, the driver of the rickshaw in which Ahsan's family was travelling and the citizen on whose complaint the police officials chased the suspect riding the motorcycle couldn't be traced, said SSP Zaman.

He said that an advertisement was also published in the newspapers in this regard but no one came forward.

A case challan has been submitted in the court and police official Amjad has been nominated in it, said SSP Zaman. 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2019.