Dramatic rise in encounter-related deaths raises eyebrows
At least 14 people, including women and civilians, were killed in 41 alleged encounters by the Rawalpindi police in the first six months of the year, according to data collated from police reports.
A total of 17 police personnel and 40 people including civilians were injured in these alleged encounters.
According to a source within the department, the number of encounters and casualties were the highest for the Rawalpindi period for a six-month period.
Moreover, only one out of these 14 deaths was registered in a case against the police party involved in it.
The first death in such an encounter took place on January 2 within the limits of Morgah police station. The deceased Amir Younis allegedly robbed overseas Pakistanis and was killed by the police who intercepted him in one such attempt.
It followed an encounter at the Pirwadhai checkpoint in which a policeman was injured while a robber was killed in retaliatory firing. There were five other alleged encounters in January, in which three more suspects were shot dead. Police records showed that at least one policeman was injured in these encounters.
February started with another such exchange of fire that left an officer of the Dolphin Force injured. Four personnel of the same force were injured in one such incident on February 3. A total of eight such encounters were reported in February.
While these exchanges resulted in injuries and arrests, none of the suspects were killed.
However, on February 23, there was an exchange of fire between drug peddlers and the police within the limits of Rawat police. A woman was killed in the crossfire, with police saying that the fatal bullet was fired by the drug peddlers.
On the same day, police reported an injured man accused of raping an 11-year-old girl within the remits of Wah Sadar police station.
Only two alleged encounters were reported in March, with the suspects arrested in an injured state in each incident.
The number of encounters spiked in April, with a man suspected of involvement in a kidnapping for ransom case killed in an alleged encounter on the first of the month. The incident took place in the jurisdiction of Naseerabad police.
On April 4, a bandit was killed in an exchange with a special squad in Pirwadhai. He had reportedly shot a policeman. Another alleged bandit was killed the next day within the remits of New Town police.
On April 8, a civilian was killed in a raid by the Muhafiz squad. It resulted in the only case filed against police personnel over the deaths.
The frequency of alleged encounters remained high throughout the month. It resulted in at least two police personnel and one civilian getting injured. Several suspects were also arrested in injured state.
There was another lull in the number of reported police encounters. Two such instances were reported, one on May 5 and another on May 17. In the first, two robbers were arrested after an exchange of fire within the limits of Sadar Wah police station. On May 17, an alleged bandit was injured and arrested in a police encounter that took place within the limits of Westridge police station.
June saw another spike in cases, with a police officer injured in the first incident at the Gujjar Khan check post on June 7. A sub-inspector and two constables were injured in the jurisdiction of Ratta Amral police when suspects opened fire on them.
The first reported casualty in a police encounter in almost two months was reported on June 14, when Dolphin Force personnel gunned down an alleged bandit. A day later, another alleged bandit was shot dead in Rata Amral.
Less than a week later, a third suspect was gunned down in Rawat. Police said that the man killed on June 19 was wanted over the recent murder of judge. Another alleged bandit was shot dead on June 27, with the incident taking place in the area under New Town police station.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 14th, 2023.