Cops thrash petrol station cashier

CCTV footage shows policemen beating worker, throwing him into van

LAHORE:

In the first incident of police highhandedness in 2023, Elite Force officials tortured and abducted a cashier at a petrol pump on Badian Road for asking a cop to wait for his turn to fill his fuel tank.

A group of cops drove him away in a police van, snatched cash worth over Rs34,000 and dumped him near Elite Centre, a few miles away from the filling station.

“A police official had approached the petrol pump and asked to refill instantly citing he was in a hurry. When asked to wait for his turn and get in line, he started hurling abuses at me,” victim Sufiyan narrated the details of the incident.

“He (the cop) kept on waiting for some time but left while hurling threats,” added Sufiyan.

After some time, he came with a group of his colleagues in a police van.

Right after getting to the filling station, they started beating and torturing him and took him away in their van, added Sufiyan. The cops also threatened to shoot him and dump his body somewhere.

The police high-handedness incident was captured on CCTV cameras installed at the filling station. It can be seen that a police van reaches the filling station and stops near Sufiyan.

The cops board off the four-wheeler, round him up, give him a good thrash and push him into the van.

A complaint has been filed with Hayer police station.

“Elite Police is the highly trained special force that assists district police in situations that need expertise with high-risk searches, raids and rescue operations. The officers in the Elite Police are trained to a high degree of skill in the use of firearms, personal combat, and reconnaissance missions. They are trained at a modern facility, the Elite Training School on Badian Road Lahore,” reads the official introduction by Punjab Police.

The specialised wing was developed in the late 90s primarily with a focus on curbing sectarian militancy and terrorism. It was hailed for its professionalism and brave performance.

However, gradually with time, its image was tainted for its use at protocol duties and incidents of high handedness and corruption started also being reported in the ranks and files of the force as the above one.

Lahore CCPO Ghulam Mehmood Dogar has taken notice of the incident and asked SP Dolphin Squad to conduct an inquiry and submit a report.

He asked to identify the policemen using CCTV camera footage and other evidence and if they were found posted in Lahore district; legal action should immediately be initiated against them.

“Violation of code of conduct and torture against citizens will not be tolerated,” Dogar held.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2023.