Drug addicts lined up and flogged by Jhumra police
CCPO has dismissed SHO and ordered an inquiry into the incident.
FAISALABAD:
Police officials tortured several drug addicts in the middle of the street on Friday afternoon. According to eyewitnesses, the police officials made the men squat in the middle of the street while they were beaten with shoes, kicked and stoned.
The capital city police officer (CCPO) has taken notice of the incident. According to residents in the area, police officials patrolling near Chiniot Chowk on Friday afternoon rounded up a group of drug addicts and beat them in the streets near Chak Jhumra. “The men were made to squat on the flood while police officials beat them with shoes, kicked them and threw stones at them. They were so stoned they barely even cried out,” said an eyewitness Rafiq.
Chak Jhumra police station house officer (SHO) Zafar Iqbal Aura was suspended and superintendent police (SP) Madina town has been ordered to present a report regarding the incident within a week. Police officials told reporters that the Chak Jhumra SHO had recently started an operation against drug addicts in the district. “The operation involved rounding up drug addicts and sending them to rehabilitation facilities,” an inspector said. “The addicts were lined up and the police even got little children to throw stones at them,” said a resident Azhar Khalid.
“Chiniot Gate is considered a hub of all kinds of crime and police officials started arresting drug addicts in the streets who were returning after they had purchased drugs,” said inspector Mujahid.
Another police official said that the policemen were venting their own frustration on the addicts because they had been ordered to monitor drug addicts in the district without any increase in pay.
“It meant additional hours on duty and they were angry,” said a constable, on condition of anonymity.
A local resident took photographs of the incident and sent them to several private television channels and the CCPO then ordered an inquiry into the incident.
The Chak Jhumra SHO has been dismissed from service and SP Madina Town Abdul Qadir Qamar will present a report on the incident in a week.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 11th, 2011.
Police officials tortured several drug addicts in the middle of the street on Friday afternoon. According to eyewitnesses, the police officials made the men squat in the middle of the street while they were beaten with shoes, kicked and stoned.
The capital city police officer (CCPO) has taken notice of the incident. According to residents in the area, police officials patrolling near Chiniot Chowk on Friday afternoon rounded up a group of drug addicts and beat them in the streets near Chak Jhumra. “The men were made to squat on the flood while police officials beat them with shoes, kicked them and threw stones at them. They were so stoned they barely even cried out,” said an eyewitness Rafiq.
Chak Jhumra police station house officer (SHO) Zafar Iqbal Aura was suspended and superintendent police (SP) Madina town has been ordered to present a report regarding the incident within a week. Police officials told reporters that the Chak Jhumra SHO had recently started an operation against drug addicts in the district. “The operation involved rounding up drug addicts and sending them to rehabilitation facilities,” an inspector said. “The addicts were lined up and the police even got little children to throw stones at them,” said a resident Azhar Khalid.
“Chiniot Gate is considered a hub of all kinds of crime and police officials started arresting drug addicts in the streets who were returning after they had purchased drugs,” said inspector Mujahid.
Another police official said that the policemen were venting their own frustration on the addicts because they had been ordered to monitor drug addicts in the district without any increase in pay.
“It meant additional hours on duty and they were angry,” said a constable, on condition of anonymity.
A local resident took photographs of the incident and sent them to several private television channels and the CCPO then ordered an inquiry into the incident.
The Chak Jhumra SHO has been dismissed from service and SP Madina Town Abdul Qadir Qamar will present a report on the incident in a week.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 11th, 2011.