Rogue: Dolphin Squad on track to become trigger-happy force

Instead of shifting injured to hospital, cops acted as silent spectators

LAHORE: Dolphin Squad, a specialised patrolling wing of Lahore police established after the spending of billions of rupees to promote community policing, is proving itself to be a trigger-happy force.

Hassan Bhatti, a youth who was shot at by Dolphin Squad officials on March 13 in the back while he was driving a car, succumbed to hid injuries on Friday. The victim was under treatment at a hospital in critical condition.

The initial investigations have suggested that the suspected Dolphin Squad officials targeted the victim on the behest of his opponents. However, further investigation was underway.

The details mentioned in the FIR revealed that the victim withdrew some cash from a private bank in Iqbal Town and left for his house. As he crossed Bismillah Chowk, four Dolphin Squad officials intercepted him. In order to frisk Bhatti, the cops ordered him to park the car on the roadside. As the youth was about to park his car, Sabir, a Dolphin Squad personnel, opened fire that pierced the posterior of the car and hit the victim’s back.

Dolphin Squad assaults continue in Lahore

Instead of shifting the injured to a hospital, the Dolphin Squad personnel acted as silent spectators. Meanwhile, the personnel form a local police station reached and shifted the victim to Jinnah Hospital from where he was shifted to a private hospital where he breathed his last on Friday.

The victim before dying

Before dying, the victims recorded in a video statement: “I was travelling in my car when Dolphin Squad officials intercepted me and inquired why I did not stop. I told them that they did not ask me to stop. I requested them to allow me to park the car when they asked me for frisking. As I was parking the car on a roadside, an officer opened fire. I suffered a bullet wound in my back. The officials kept on watching bleed instead of shifting me to a hospital. I bled for half an hour until other police personnel shifted me to a hospital.”

A case was registered against the accused and they were arrested.

This is not the first incident in which Dolphin Officials refused to shift the injured to the hospital. Last year, Dolphin officials had shot at and injured youth in Gulberg. He was returning home after purchasing some medicines. The officials rather than shifting him to the hospital took him a police station.

On March 18, the Dolphin Squad officials shot at and injured a youth identified as Umar in Chung area. The victim said he was returning home after attending a marriage ceremony with a friend. The Dolphin Squad following them to home and opened fire.



In January this year, the squad had shot at and injured a shopkeeper, a victim of a robbery, while responding to a call on 15 in Abdali Chowk, Islampura. The Dolphin Squad had also shot dead a woman in Naseerabad, a mentally disabled man in Gulshan-e-Ravi and a youth on Band Road.

Dolphin Squad has lost its purpose

Dolphin Squad was initiated as a special project a few years back with an exclusive purpose of improving the tainted image by promoting community policing through the squad. For the purpose, literally, billions of rupees were pumped into it.

They were provided heavy motorbikes, special equipment etc. the training of the squad was done from Turkey. Master trainers were sent there for the purpose. 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21^st, 2020.