SHO suspended for ‘custodial death’

Authorities have also suspended Gujar Khan Station House Officer (SHO) Malik Kashif from service after the death of a citizen in police custody. An inquiry into the death is currently in progress.

Zeeshan of Jhanda Chichi, who was in the custody of the Qazian police checkpost, had died under mysterious circumstances.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Zeeshan was taken into custody by the Civil Lines police and then handed over to the officials of the Qazian police checkpost. He, however, died within a few hours after his condition worsened at the checkpost.

Rawalpindi City Police Officer Khalid Hamdani first removed Civil Lines SHO Inspector Sikandar Nawaz Joya from the post and suspended SI Ishaq, ASI Liaquat Ali and constables Abid and Abdullah. The CPO also suspended Qazian checkpost in-charge ASI Saqib Shiraz, ASI Sajid Saqlain and Constables Hasnain and Babar Ali from service. A case was also registered against all of them.

A postmortem examination was conducted after the exhumation of the deceased’s grave and the inquiry was ongoing. The Gujar Khan SHO, the plaintiff in the case against the policemen, was also suspended and closed to the police lines.

A senior officer, seeking anonymity, said that the Gujar Khan SHO had been suspended in the same case.