PTI activist dies in police custody

Tahir Asif was arrested after a protest against rising robberies in Pind Dadan Khan

JEHLUM:

Former mayor of the Pind Dadan Khan Tehsil of Jhelum district and local leader of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf died allegedly from torture in police custody.

The situation in the area is tense after the news of the death of former mayor Tahir Asif in the police custody surfaced, locals told The Express Tribune. However, the PTI supporter family has called for restrain and demanded an unbiased inquiry into the incidence and justice for Asif.

The locals alleged that Asif died of the police torture while the police officials claim that the victim passed away due to cardiac arrest.

The residents of the area staged a protest against the incident forcing the police personnel to escape from the streets and barricade themselves in the police station.

Earlier, the victim had led a protest against the police following over 50 robbery and snatching incidents in Pind Dadan Khan Tehsil in a month. However, DSP Saleem Khattak held dialogues with the protesters after which they dispersed peacefully.

Later, police arrested the ex-mayor and kept him in the lockup for two days where his health deteriorated and he was rushed to the hospital. However, Asif passed away before reaching the hospital.

The victim’s family claimed that Asif had bruises and wound marks on his body, signifying that he was tortured by the police. They demanded inquiry against the perpetrators of the custodial and said they would remain inconsolable until the killers of Asif were identified and brought to justice.

Capital police show custody of missing man after family’s protest

As the news of Asif’s death in police custody spread, the closely knit rural community came out on the roads and assembled outside the police station after which the police personnel barricaded themselves. While many called for the old style rural vendetta, Asif’s brothers called for maintaining peace and urged people never to take law into their hands.

Meanwhile, a senior doctor at the Jalalpur Sharif Rural Health Centre asserted that the victim had already died before he was brought to the hospital.

Asif’s brother, Shahid, also alleged that the ex-mayor died of the police torture. He held DSP and SHO Pind Dadan Khan responsible for the ex-mayor’s death.

Further, sources in the DPO office claimed that Asif was not beaten but he died of a cardiac arrest as he was a heart patient. The Circle DSP has been assigned the duty to probe into the incident.

The protesters have demanded of the Minister of Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry to take notice of the incident.

They expressed that the robberies and snatching incidents in the tehsil are on the rise due to negligence and complicity of police officials.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29^th, 2020.