Clouded death: Man accuses SHO of killing his son

Police claim Gulfraz committed suicide prior to being arrested.

HARIPUR: A man, whose son was wanted by the police and later found dead, accused the Sera-e-Saleh police of extrajudicial killing. The police, on the other hand, claimed the victim had committed suicide prior to resisting arrest.

Azad Khan, a resident of Donali Shah Maqsood village, said police arrested him at his home on Friday night after he failed to produce his son Gulfraz. Khan said the Sera-e-Saleh police suspected his son was involved in a robbery, and a village jirga had decided to take him to the police station on Saturday.

However, a police team headed by SHO Rehm Nawaz raided Khan’s house and took him and his other son to the police station in Gulfraz’s place. Khan claimed the police subjected him and his son, Nazakat, to severe physical and mental torture for allegedly facilitating Gulfraz’s escape. After three hours, Nawaz allegedly put Khan in a police van which drove him to a location where he was shown Gulfraz’s body.



“The SHO told me Gulfraz had committed suicide to avoid arrest,” said Khan, adding when he asked his wife why Gulfraz had taken his own life, she said police officials had picked him up two hours prior to his death.

When approached for comments, Nawaz denied the report. He further said on April 4 some villagers had lodged an FIR stating they were robbed by five armed men on their way to Changi Bandi. According to the SHO, one of the robbers, Saqib, was arrested and later confessed Gulfraz was involved in this and other robberies. Nawaz explained Gulfraz managed to evade arrest on several occasions, and on Friday evening asked a friend, Wasim, to accompany him to a nearby field. Additionally, the SHO quoted Wasim saying Gulfraz took out his pistol and shot himself in the chest when they reached the field. The police officer maintained Gulfraz was neither arrested nor taken to the police station.

A group of local elders headed by Yahya Khan later met Haripur DPO Najeeb ur Rehman Bhagvi and lodged a complaint against Nawaz, accusing him of an extrajudicial killing. Consequently, the DPO ordered an inquiry into Gulfraz’s death and assured the delegation of local elders that legal action would be taken against the SHO if he is found guilty.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2013.

so-bidi-font-style:normal'>22^nd, 2013.