Adding insult to injury: Cop thrashed by lawyers while making arrest, faces suspension

Accused’s lawyer claims he was about to file a pre-arrest bail plea; no action against lawyers involved in melee yet.

RAWALPINDI:

A group of lawyers allegedly beat up a police official on Saturday in the parking lot of the new judicial complex. The police official was attempting to arrest a man facing charge of assault.

Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Aamir Zafeer of the Waris Khan police station was assaulted by the lawyers after refusing to let Jamiluddin go with his lawyer, who insisted that the police could not arrest his client as he had moved a pre-arrest bail for him in a court.

At about 11am, Jamiluddin, 50, fell to the ground after he was handcuffed by the ASI and an ambulance was called to shift him to hospital. The lawyers urged the police official not to arrest him as his bail plea was due to be taken up by an additional district and sessions judge. However, when ASI Zafeer refused, some 15 to 20 lawyers attacked him, according to a witness.

The witness, requesting anonymity, said the assault continued until other lawyers intervened. Jamiluddin was later shifted to a hospital.

In a written complaint to the Civil Lines police, ASI Zafeer maintained that he appeared before an additional sessions judge along with the record of a criminal case to contest the pre-arrest bail plea of an accused. In the absence of the accused’s lawyer, the court adjourned the bail plea hearing.

While he was leaving the courtroom, he said he saw Jamiluddin standing with his son in the parking area, according to Sub Inspector (SI) Awais Ikram of Civil Lines, quoting ASI Zafeer.

Zafeer informed the area police that he rushed towards Jamiluddin and nabbed him When he was handcuffed, the accused fainted and fell to the ground. On this, ASI Zafeer called an ambulance to shift him to a hospital.

In the meanwhile, Jamiluddin’s son came with lawyer Bilal Mahar, who asked him not to arrest the accused as his pre-arrest bail plea had been filed with the court and the police would get court orders in due time.

However, the ASI refused to let the accused go as there was a warrant for his arrest and no bail orders had been approved at that time.

This infuriated Mahar, who along with other colleagues started beating the police official.

On the other hand, Mahar filed a counter complaint with the police claiming that he stopped the ASI from arresting his client as he had come to the court to obtain interim pre-arrest bail.

Mahar claimed that the scuffle took place because ASI Zafeer “refused to act according to the law and misused his authority”, adding that criminal action should be taken against him.

Following the incident, both the ASI and the lawyer also filed written complaints with the district and sessions judge (DSJ). The DSJ called City Police Officer (CPO) Azhar Hameed Khokhar and representatives of the Rawalpindi District Bar Association.

In the meeting, the CPO ensured the court and the lawyers representatives that he would suspend the ASI and take departmental action against him.

This is not the first case of lawyers pushing their weight around.

Most recently, last November, six lawyers allegedly thrashed a traffic warden at Kutchery Chowk, Rawalpindi when he stopped their car for a traffic violation and refused to let them off the hook.

In May, a group of lawyers thrashed an SI in the Lahore sessions court after he presented evidence regarding the innocence of an accused. The lawyers had threatened him not to provide evidence.

In June 2010, 200 to 250 lawyers allegedly stormed the Shalimar Police Station in Islamabad and damaged records and official vehicles after the city’s civic agency demolished some chambers that had encroached on state land.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd, 2013.