Police brutality: Trigger happy cop shoots citizen calling for help in Lahore

Constable Faisal has been arrested and booked under charges of attempted murder, misuse of authority

LAHORE:

An official of the Dolphin Squad Police Force on Saturday opened fire and shot a citizen who had called for help during a suspected robbery attempt in the Township area of Lahore.

According to reports, a First Information Report (FIR) [No 2217/21 u/s 324 PPC & 155-C Police Order] had been registered against Constable Faisal in the Township police precinct on behalf of the victim's brother, Ali Muhammad.

The victim, Bakht Khan, reportedly had a dispute with some individuals after attending a party in the neighbourhood and according to the victim’s brother, the people then started assaulting Khan.

After police were called for help via the 15 emergency number, law enforcers arrived at the location and opened fire on Khan after they allegedly saw him flee from the incident site.

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“Seeing the police party, the victim Khan started running,” said a police spokesperson “The police personnel got confused and assumed him to be a suspected robber.”

After the incident, all four police personnel involved were reportedly suspended. Constable Faisal was arrested and booked under an attempt to murder and misuse of authority charges.

Lahore's Dolphin Squad has a checkered history since it was formed some years back and has been involved in shooting innocents on many an occasion.

Earlier, members of the force had shot dead a teenage boy while chasing suspected robbers on Band Road and also shot dead a woman who was returning home from duty in Naseerabad in a separate incident.

In another incident, a young boy, returning home after buying medicine for his ailing mother, was shot and injured. He was later subjected to severe torture.

Members of the 'elite' police squad had also been found guilty of killing a mentally-challenged individual in Gulshan-e- Ravi.