Gas guzzlers: Police adding fuel to the fire
According to eyewitnesses, the officers beat the cashier of the CNG station with iron rods and a car jack for refusing to fill their vehicle because of the scheduled gas closure day.
According to Millat Town Police, four police officials including Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Hammad, ASI Shahid and constables Zubair and Imtiaz stopped at a local CNG Station situated near Millat Road and demanded that the attendants fill their vehicle. “They climbed out of the car and grabbed the attendant by the collar demanding he fill up their car but he said the station was closed,” said an eyewitness Rahman Qazim.
A cashier at the CNG station, Zeeshan, said that he couldn’t make an exception for the cops because it was illegal to open the station on the day of the weekly scheduled gas closure. “I told them I could not violate the law as Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has issued warnings to all CNG stations’ against providing gas to vehicles during the load management schedule,” he said.
“They took it as a personal insult and began beating me and another attendant,” he told police, while being taken to the hospital.
Eyewitnesses told police, that the accused cops smashed Zeeshan through a glass window and then beat him with lead pipes and a car jack. “They also beat up another gas attendant,” they said. One of the gas attendants fainted during the encounter and Zeeshan was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
The police officials, fearing arrest, left Zeeshan in critical condition at the CNG station before fleeing the scene.
“We have captured footage from the CCTV cameras installed at the CNG stations. The footage reveals the accused beating Zeeshan,” said Assistant Superintendent (ASI) Kashif Jameel.
When the CNG station owner Dr Zahoor received information about the incident, he filed a complaint with the police station and showed the tape exposing the police torture.
“Millat Town police initially took no notice of the incident because it involved their own men but I complained to the resident police officer and when the local media channels reported the incident they arrested the accused,” he said.
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif took notice of the incident and issued orders to the RPO Aftab Ahmad Cheema to submit a report about the case within a day.
The accused police officials have been suspended. Millat Town police has arrested two of the accused, ASI Hammad and ASI Shahid, by registering a case while further investigation in this regard is still under progress.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 28th, 2011.
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