GUJRANWALA:
The medical examination of three men, arrested by Hafizabad City police for interrogation in a festive firing incident, on Friday confirmed that they were tortured in custody.
The report, prepared by doctors at the Hafizabad district headquarters (DHQ) hospital, has been handed over to Syed Tanveer, Khalid Hussain and Tauqeer Hussain so that they could submit it before the judicial magistrate who had ordered their examination.
The report states that there were signs of torture on the bodies of the men. It stated that they were finding it difficult to walk on account of injuries to their legs. One of them was unable to hear from one of his ears due to injuries sustained during custody.
Medical Superintendent Dr Irshad Chattha told The Express Tribune that the injuries did not require hospitalisation. “They were sent home after the examination on Thursday,” he added.
Talking to the Tribune on Thursday, Station House Officer Rana Farzand had rejected the possibility that the three men were tortured by police. He said they were held for a day for questioning about the whereabouts of their cousin, Sajid Hussain, who was a suspect in the festive firing case.
Hussain had on Thursday obtained an interim bail in the matter.
The SHO said the three men were released after interrogation.
In their application to the judicial magistrate, the man had said that they were released on intervention of Malik Phool Ahmed Awan, president of the Hafizabad district cricket association (HDCA). They submitted that they were illegally detained by the police and that there were no charges against them. The magistrate had then ordered their medical examination.
The FIR registered in the festive firing incident accused Hussain of firing bullets in the air during a rally to celebrate Awan’s election as the HDCA president.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 30th, 2012.
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