Cost of justice: Police agree to pay Rs1.1m after allegedly killing villager
Police had reportedly cordoned off Rehman Jagirani village last Friday and said that they had been tipped off that some criminals were present in the area. However, the unexpected arrival of the police reportedly scared the villagers, who started fleeing from their homes. Police reportedly fired upon the people to restore order, and hit Hazaro Jagirani, who died on the spot.
The villagers later blocked Ghotki bypass and protested against the incident. The victim’s wife, Anwar Khatoon, nominated Gemro police SHO Ismail Bozdar, Katcho Bhindi-II SHO Urs Noonari, Raunti SHO Abdullah Awan, ASI Allah Dino Waseer and constables Rafiq Bharo and Mohammad Ali Sabzoi, and five others in the complaint. However, the FIR was allegedly changed and the suspects were now nominated under section 319 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which deals with accidental death.
However, all the accused policemen reportedly went to the village on Thursday and met with relatives of the victim. An elder of the community, Bashir Ahmed Shah, played the role of a judge in this parallel judicial system and found the police guilty of killing Hazaro Jagirani.
Shah imposed a fine of Rs1.1 million upon the police, including Rs0.6 million for killing an innocent villager, and the rest for ransacking the village and damaging the houses. According to sources, police paid Rs0.2 million to Khatoon on the spot and promised to pay the remaining amount before July 20.
Ubauro DSP Niaz Chandio, however, refuted the claim that he visited Rehmat Jagirani village and met with Hazaro’s relatives. Ghotki SSP Mazhar Nawaz Shaikh was unavailable for comment.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 6th, 2012.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ