Seemingly no end to Dolphin Squad brutality

Shooting of young boy, who was buying medicine for his mother, dominates headlines

LAHORE: Another week and another incident of highhandedness by Dolphin Squad officials make the headlines of local newspapers. This time around, a young boy named Umar Raza was shot and injured. Analysts have been quick to point out that his only crime was that he ventured out to buy medicines for his mother.

Reportedly, there was no sign of aggression shown by the youngster. The Express Tribune has learnt that officials took the victim to a police station where he was intimidated into confessing to being a robber. Observers are of the view that the Dolphin Squad has repeatedly misused its authority since its inception. In a short span of three years, the force has earned a notorious reputation for shooting innocent people, torturing incidents, corruption and protecting criminals.

After the murder of an innocent woman in Nishter Colony in May 2019, officials have documented at least 40 similar incidents. The purpose of forming the squad was to promote community policing, but it anything, such actions are distancing the force from citizens.

Members of the squad have also been found speeding, which has caused many accidents. These incidents resulted in a speed limit being imposed on the squad. Other reports have suggested that their behaviour also leaves much to be desired, especially after a Dolphin Squad official propositioned a girl while on duty.

A senior official says the fault lies in the foundations of the squad. He adds that the budget allocated for the squad was spent extravagantly to build a team which lacked basic amenities.

“Police stations do not have basic facilities such as furniture, buildings, stationery and proper functioning vehicles.” He adds that the government and senior officials were more interested in kickbacks from the project.

The official says this has resulted in a project which was set up in an unstable socioeconomic and political climate. He continues that the squad was projected as a force dedicated towards protecting the lives and properties of people. However, most observers agree that it has failed to live up to expectations and has gradually ended being the culprit in an increasing amount of violent incidents.

Police officials have long been infamous for highhandedness and nowhere is this behaviour more prevalent than in prison lockups. As a counter measure, CCTV cameras are finally being installed in police lockups across the province on the orders of Punjab Inspector General of Police Arif Nawaz Khan. The CCTV cameras will be monitored at Central Police Office, besides other offices.

The exorcist

Another major incident that grabbed the headlines last week was the brutal assault of a mother on her children in Qila Gujjar Singh. The woman’s two-year-old son and three-year-old daughter were forced to undergo an exorcism.

The case exposed the underlying problematic behavior prevalent in society where exorcists exploit the emotions of innocent people. The incident also exposed how brutal some members of society are when it comes to the treatment of children.

The indifference towards the children’s plight can also be gauged from two separate cases in which minor domestic helpers were tortured in Johar Town and Satto Katla during the week. Incidents of child abuse are reported almost every week in the provincial capital.

This month, a case was reported in which a minor girl was sexually assaulted by her brother and brother-in-law in Shadbagh. Three weeks ago, a similar case was reported in Halloki.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2019.