Law unto themselves: 3 policemen suspended for detaining student

The grade four student was in a motorist’s way.

FAISALABAD:

Three police officials including the Madina Town police in-charge have been suspended for detaining a grade four-student, Police Spokesman Aamir Waheed said on Saturday.

Waheed told the media that the boy, Samar Mubarak, was detained for being in the way of Hashim, who was passing through the area on his car on Friday.

He said Hashim had handed him over to Constable Muhammad Jaffar.

“Jaffar took the boy to Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Qasim who ordered that the boy be chained and locked up.”

Waheed said the Operations SSP had ordered an inquiry into the matter and appointed Madina Town SP Nasir Sial the inquiry officer.

“Sial issued orders for immediate suspension of Constable Muhammad Jaffar, Mobile Police Officer Liaquat Ali and Assistant Sub-Inspector Qasim,” Waheed said.

Residents allege police inaction

Hundreds of Sargodha Road resident on Saturday staged a protest demonstration against police for not arresting criminals.

The protestors blocked the Sargodha-Faisalabad Road for more than three hours and demanded immediate action against policemen responsible.

Muhammad Naveed, one of the protestors, told the media that “the criminals are roaming free.”

He said the citizens had filed several complaints but they had been ignored.

Muhammad Arif, another protestor, said four to five robberies were reported daily from Sargodha Road but the police had yet to arrest the suspects.

Former UC nazim Nasir Shaheen said the police were not stopping criminals who were robbing people in broad daylight.

“A youth, Fahad, was shot dead four days ago on Sargodha Road for resisting a robbery,” he said.

He said the police had registered a case but the suspects had not yet been arrested.

The protest ended when Operations SSP Inspector Ghulam Ali assured the protestors that action would be taken against the culprits in accordance with the law.

SHO Muhammad Yasir Jutt told The Express Tribune that the police were trying to arrest the criminals.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2013.