PIC mayhem: two police officers found negligent

Decision about action on inquiry report will be taken later

LAHORE: An inquiry committee formed to probe into the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) fiasco and fix responsibility has held two senior police officers responsible for negligence and inefficiency for failing to avert the incident.

The inquiry committee member Additional IG Azhar Hameed Khokhar confirmed to The Express Tribune that Senior Superintendents of Police Operations (SSP) Muhammad Naveed and SP Civil Lines Dost Muhammad Khosa were found responsible for mishandling of the incident with regard to police response.

SP Khosa did not reach the spot although the longest part of route the lawyers took to reach the PIC fell in Civil Lines Division. The SSP operations remained there throughout the time. However, his presence proved futile as he could not make a decision to stop the lawyers from attacking the hospital.

SP Khosa, on being contacted by The Express Tribune, did not comment on the report. Efforts were also made to contact SSP Naveed. However, he did not respond.

The inquiry committee had been constituted by Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Shoaib Dastagir. Its members included Khokhar, DIG Imran Mehmood and AIG Athar Ismail.

The inquiry report has been submitted to the provincial government. A decision about action against the police officers will be taken later.

A senior police officer told The Express Tribune that Lahore Police could not afford a change of command ahead of an international cricket series. The Bangladesh cricket team is scheduled to visit Lahore soon. The decision to initiate departmental action against the officers may be taken afterwards.

At least three patients reportedly died after the medical services were suspended when a group of lawyers stormed the PIC to ‘avenge’ torture on their colleagues a few days before the incident by doctors and other employees.

The lawyers walked through the main roads of the city for about five kilometres in a procession before attacking the PIC. They torched a police vehicle, tortured policemen, a provincial minister, doctors, staff, patients and attendants, smashed doors, broke medical equipment and also suspended medical services. The lawlessness continued for over two hours.

An official report prepared by DIG Operations Lahore Rai Babar Saeed had pointed out that the lawyers’ attack was not the result of sudden provocation.

The police had ample time to make necessary arrangements to thwart the attack on the PIC, it added.

The report revealed that the lawyers started moving towards the PIC at 11:20am and reached outside the emergency gate at 12:29pm, ie more than one hour later. To deal with such a mob that was carrying batons and was moving towards a hospital to take revenge, police had deployed only about 100 personnel for security despite having more than one hour in hand.

The report prepared by DIG Saeed for his senior command said that on December 11, at about 10:50am, a “mob of 300-400 lawyers” assembled at the bar room Aiwan-e-Adal Lahore where they alleged that the cabinet of Lahore Bar Association had reconciled with doctors on an earlier dispute. They also chanted slogans against the cabinet.

Lahore Bar Association President Asim Cheema tried to convince them that the cabinet had not reconciled with the doctors. On this, a few of the lawyers insisted on marching towards the PIC to take revenge over a viral video by doctors.

At around 11:20am, a mob of lawyers carrying batons started moving towards the hospital.

At around 12:29pm, the lawyers reached the hospital, started chanting slogans against doctors and entered the premises of the PIC after breaking the emergency gate. Police tried to stop them but they did not halt. The official correspondence added that the lawyers damaged
walk-through gates, CCTV cameras, mirrors, medical equipment and windshields of many vehicles. They also torched a police vehicle.

Punjab Minister Fayazul Hasan Chohan was also attacked. After all this loss, police resorted to baton charge and used tear gas to disperse the lawyers. So far, police have charged over 70 lawyers in the incident. CCPO Zulfiqar Hameed had facilitated reconciliation between the doctors and the lawyers a few days earlier at his office. Before moving towards the PIC, the lawyers had also stormed the IG office and Civil Secretariat.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 22^nd, 2020.