Pindi’s lone woman SHO sent packing by RPO

Bushra Batool dismissed for registering a ‘false’ case

RAWALPINDI:

Rawalpindi’s Regional Police Officer (RPO) Khurram Ali issued orders for the dismissal of the city’s only woman station house officer (SHO) over a complaint by a citizen claiming he had been framed in a false case, it emerged on Wednesday.

One other policeman was also dismissed while the Race Course police station SHO was demoted in connection with the case.

While the RPO’s office was silent on the issue, police sources said that a local Ali Haider submitted a written complaint to the RPO in which he accused Bushra Batool, the SHO of the women’s police station, of misusing her authority.

The complainant, which was submitted on September 21, stated that Batool, with the help of Race Course SHO Inspector Iftikhar Ahmed and Sub-inspector Aftab Hussain, an investigation officer, framed him in a case.

It stated that the three had colluded to incriminate him and his brother in a ‘baseless’ investigation. The complaint stated that the case was filed on July 31.

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After a preliminary enquiry, the RPO issued a show-cause notice to SHO Batool on September 30. A show-cause notice had previously been issued against the same officer over negligence and incompetence in various police station matters on June 9, sources added.

They said the RPO summoned Batool on October 7 to explain the complaint filed against her. However, she did not appear before the RPO. After completing the procedure, the RPO issued orders to dismiss Bushra Batool from service, the sources continued.

During the investigation, a show-cause notice was issued to Hussain as well who was required to appear on October 7 as well. However, the investigating officer did not appear before the RPO. Following this, the RPO issued orders to dismiss him from service as well.

A spokesperson had earlier said that the two dismissed officers had the right to appeal. They can appeal to the Punjab Service Tribunal or Punjab police chief. But they do not have the right to appeal before any police officer in Rawalpindi, the spokesperson added.

The spokesman said that the RPO had demoted the Race Course police station SHO by reducing his pay scale. He was also given ‘severe departmental punishment’, they said.

The spokesperson said the two dismissed officers cannot go to the police stations or put on the uniform.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2023.