Police form body to investigate PTI activist’s death

Autopsy report shows Ali Bilal died of deep head wound

LAHORE:

Police have formed a fact-finding body to probe into the death of a PTI activist during Wednesday's crackdown on those participating in the party’s rally in Lahore despite the imposition of Section 144 in the city, it was learnt on Thursday.

As per a notification dated March 8, the Punjab police chief issued orders for an investigation into the incidents of police clashes with PTI activists during which one of them, Ali Bilal, died.

PTI chairman and deposed premier Imran Khan alleged that his party activist was “murdered” by the Punjab police.

Imran posted a video on social media that showed Bilal alive while being taken to the police station a day earlier. The PTI chief further shared a picture of Bilal's body that revealed blood on his forehead.

The PTI had announced a rally from Zaman Park to Data Darbar to mark the launch of its election campaign. Initially it was stated that Imran would lead the rally. However, the district administration imposed a ban on public gatherings.

The violence began after the police moved to the Zaman Park area, where the residence of Imran was located, to prevent the PTI workers from advancing towards Mall Road.

Later, the Lahore police started arresting the PTI activists on Mall Road.

The PTI workers, carrying clubs and sticks, moved to resist the police advance. The police then resorted to heavy tear gas shelling and baton charge, and used water cannons to disperse them.

The inquiry team, which comprises Punjab Elite Police Force DIG Sadiq Dogar and Lahore Capital City District Internal Accountability Bureau SSP Imran Kishwar, has been directed to submit its report to the IGP within three days.

The team has been directed to find the answers to seven queries, four of them related to Bilal.

It has been assigned the task of finding out under what circumstances had the police and PTI activists clashed.

It would also determine the legal status of the activists’ gathering.

The IGP has directed the committee to ascertain the cause behind Bilal’s death.

Another question that the team has been directed to answer is the time and location of the PTI activist's death.

The IGP directed the team to find out if Bilal was in police custody “as reported on social media”.

The body would also find out who took Bilal's body to the hospital and what was the registration number of that vehicle.

“Did the persons who brought him [Bilal] to the hospital take him to the medical team and disclose their whereabouts [as well as] from where the deceased was picked [up]?” the police chief inquired.

Officials said they had acquired the footage of the people who had brought Bilal’s body to the hospital.

There were two men, who brought the PTI activist’s body to the hospital and they arrived there in a black vehicle.

They used an Edhi ambulance stretcher to take Bilal’s body inside the emergency room of the hospital.

As soon as the doctors confirmed Bilal’s death, the two men escaped from the scene.

Efforts are underway to identify the two men.

An FIR – a copy of which is available with the Express Tribune – was registered at the Race Course police station under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), murder, attempt to murder and other offences.

The police said the preliminary autopsy of Bilal’s body had found that he suffered a deep head injury.

The autopsy was conducted at Mayo Hospital Mortuary.

The cause of death would be determined in the final report.

Samples of his body parts were sent to Punjab Forensic Agency, the police said.

They added that the final report would be issued by Lahore General Hospital.

Bilal’s body was handed over to his heirs after the autopsy.

His funeral prayer was offered at Baba Ground.

It was attended by a large number of PTI activists and citizens including the central leadership of the party.

They included Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Azam Swati, Hammad Azhar, Senator Ejaz Chaudhary, Zubair Niazi, Farrukh Habib, and Shafqat Mahmood.

After the funeral prayer, the activists shouted slogans against the police.