Man dies of alleged police torture

Police claim victim was found unconscious on roadside

LAHORE:

A citizen allegedly died in Chowki Wahga area on Friday.

The victim was identified as Rizwan. Reportedly, he was in the custody of Chowki Wahga police. On Friday evening, he expired in police custody allegedly due to police torture.

However, police ruled out the possibility of death in custody.

Police claimed constables Usman and Tahir found the victim in an unconscious condition on a roadside. He was shifted to a nearby hospital in Manwan by the policemen.

The victim expired there. SHO Batapur ruled out the possibility of the death in police custody.

However, the family of the victim alleged that the victim had been murdered by police by subjecting him to severe torture. They alleged that police was trying to shrug off the responsibility of the heinous crime by declaring the death due to heart-seizure and submitting the body into the hospital.

CCPO Umer Shoib Sheikh has sought report of the incident from SP Cantonment. IGP Inam Ghani has taken notice of the incident.

There is no let-up in cases custodial deaths in Lahore.

There have been multiple cases before also. Last month, Incharge Investigaitons Shahdara, Chowki Incharge Saggian and other police officers were booked for death in custody of a factory worker Shafaq Hussain. Police had taken him into custody over allegation of theft. His son has alleged that his employer in the presence of police officers had subjected his father to severe torture before his eyes.

Later, the police in the station premises had also subjected him to brutal torture that caused his death.

There are multiple other incidents in Lahore of death custody to quote. The custodial death of the ATM thief Salahuddin in Rahim Yar Khan police had highlighted the custodial deaths before public at large. Police had invited much wrath against the death of the victim in a brutal manner.