Custodial ‘killings’
The police deny their hand in the death, claiming that the “mad man” suddenly became unwell
Custodial deaths do grab the headlines and raise a hue and cry, but police lock-ups continue to act as torture cells. The death of Salahuddin Ayubi, a robbery suspect, at a prison in Rahim Yar Khan has gone viral just as his video of breaking open an ATM machine, making faces and sticking his tongue out at the CCTV camera did. Ayubi was arrested by the police on Friday and reported dead on Sunday morning. What happened during these two days does merit a thorough investigation. The police deny their hand in the death, claiming that the “mad man” suddenly became unwell, and that he was shifted to hospital in an unconscious state and the doctors there pronounced him dead.
For the police, it seems, the dignity of an accused and regard for human life have no meanings. Even though Ayubi had his name and address tattooed on his arms for identification, it was no indication for the police that he may not have been normal. The police may have rather read too much into the tattoo — treating it to be a distraction tactic by a “professional criminal” — perhaps because they are trained to always look beyond the obvious. Ayubi had been out of touch with his family in Gujranwala for a while, according to the FIR lodged by his father Muhammad Afzaal. And the father only came to know of the whereabouts of his mentally-challenged son through the media. The police did not bother to pass on the information of the arrest, or even the death, to the family.
Despite calls for jail reforms, there has been no change in the colonial-era interrogation techniques, and cases of torturous deaths in custody are being reported with regularity. Ayubi’s is not the only death in custody in recent times. Just this week, two other persons also allegedly succumbed to torture by the police in Lahore. There is an urgent need for the police to adopt modern methods of interrogation based on scientific techniques and prosecute the torture agents so that deaths in custody could be done away with.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 4th, 2019.
For the police, it seems, the dignity of an accused and regard for human life have no meanings. Even though Ayubi had his name and address tattooed on his arms for identification, it was no indication for the police that he may not have been normal. The police may have rather read too much into the tattoo — treating it to be a distraction tactic by a “professional criminal” — perhaps because they are trained to always look beyond the obvious. Ayubi had been out of touch with his family in Gujranwala for a while, according to the FIR lodged by his father Muhammad Afzaal. And the father only came to know of the whereabouts of his mentally-challenged son through the media. The police did not bother to pass on the information of the arrest, or even the death, to the family.
Despite calls for jail reforms, there has been no change in the colonial-era interrogation techniques, and cases of torturous deaths in custody are being reported with regularity. Ayubi’s is not the only death in custody in recent times. Just this week, two other persons also allegedly succumbed to torture by the police in Lahore. There is an urgent need for the police to adopt modern methods of interrogation based on scientific techniques and prosecute the torture agents so that deaths in custody could be done away with.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 4th, 2019.