Death in police custody: Inquiry team changed

IGP orders new inquiry team to submit report within 14 days.

ISLAMABAD:

It has been seven days since Saadat Ali died in police custody, and the police chief has already changed the inquiry team.

The reasons: to ensure impartiality and that the investigations do not stall.

The latest change came a day ago, when the inquiry was shifted from Industrial Area Superintendent of Police (SP), a Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) officer, to SP Rural Sadaqat Ali, a ranker. A ranker, in police circles, refers to an officer who rises above the rank of inspector and is not recruited directly through the Civil Service of Pakistan.

The idea was to make the inquiry impartial as one PSP officer might help or show sympathy to another, namely the assistant superintendent of police (ASP), who was one of four police officers booked in Saadat’s murder case, said a senior police officer who said he was familiar with the matter.

“PSP officers normally have soft corner for their PSP colleagues, as do the rankers for other ranker officers,” added the officer.

He said Inspector General of Police (IGP) Bani Amin asked the new inquiry team, which also includes Industrial Area Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ashraf Shah and Inspector Mubarak Ali, to submit their report within 14 days.

The PSP officer who the IGP feared could be given undue favour or shown sympathy was ASP Dr Khalil Ahmed. He was charged by the victim’s family as one of the two officers who tortured Saadat. Ahmed is currently out on interim bail.

The other two suspects — SP Ishaq Warraich and former Sabzi Mandi Police Station House Officer Asjad Ali (currently suspended) — recorded their statement before the investigation team on Saturday and were asked not to leave the city without intimation.

However, Dr Ahmed did not appear before the investigators. “He is likely to appear on Monday (today) or else he will be arrested after his interim bail expires,” added the officer.

The medical board report confirmed that Saadat’s torture at the hands of the police led to him having a heart attack, which killed him. There were nine torture marks on his body, according to the report.

Majid, Saadat’s brother, had accused ASI Gul Khan of taking him to ASP Dr Ahmed. Khan had told Majid that Ahmed wanted to interrogate Ali, according to the FIR. Khan is currently in police custody.

The earlier inquiry team was headed by SP Khurram Rashid, who replaced SP Warraich after the incident on September 29. The first inquiry team also included Industrial Area SHO Muhammad Shafiq, who was also replaced in the new team.

According to a Sub-Divisional Police Officer who had previously supervised Shafiq, the SHO does not enjoy a good reputation as an investigator — he avoids taking up murder investigations and has made mistakes in many other cases. He was replaced by Inspector Mubarak.

The victim’s family have returned to their village in Sialkot District. Majid said they had not been contacted by any member of the investigation team.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 8^th, 2012.