Judicial inquiry sought on fatal police raid

Police in Rawalpindi on Tuesday urged a local court to conduct a judicial inquiry into a police raid in which a youngster was injured and later succumbed to his wounds.

A police spokesperson said that a few days ago, the Naseerabad police had conducted a raid to arrest Qadir. The raid was based on information obtained from Naseer, a suspected criminal wanted in a double murder case.

During the raid, suspects allegedly shot at the police. The police retaliated and an exchange of fire ensued. During the crossfire, Akash was struck by a bullet and critically injured. Police eventually managed to apprehend Akash and two other suspects during the raid.

Akash was rushed to the hospital, however, he succumbed to his wounds and died.

The police spokesperson said that the victim’s family claimed that Akash was not a criminal and that he had been targeted over personal enmity.

The police, however, maintained that Naseer, and his brother Tanvir, were wanted for committing heinous crimes including murder, kidnapping and rape.

They further claimed that when the police squad surrounded the suspected hideout, Tanvir and his accomplices fired at them.

After trading fire, police claimed they apprehend Tanvir, Khalid Satti, Sarwar and Syed Danish while recovering weapons from them, proving that the raid authentic.

To address the issue, CPO Ahsan Younis assured the family of a proper investigation of the entire matter along with a departmental inquiry against the officers involved.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd, 2020.