Action demanded against police

Faridabad area residents stage protests against the murder of a 60-year-old woman allegedly due to police’s beating.

MULTAN: Faridabad area residents on Tuesday staged protests against the murder of a 60-year-old woman allegedly due to police’s beating.

The residents warned that if the police officials responsible for Anweri Begum’s death were not arrested today they would lay siege to the Bohargate police station.

The Punjab Inspector General of Police, Tariq Saleem Dogar, ordered an inquiry into the incident. He directed the City police to present a report to him.

Anwari Begum, wife of Latif, was allegedly beaten up by the Bohargate police on Sunday. The police had raided the house to recover the money allegedly stolen by the couple’s son, Nauman.

A theft case was registered against Nauman at the police station and he was already under their custody. He was accused of stealing Rs400,000. Sub inspector Rehmat and three police officials, according to Latif, broke into the house and started beating his wife and his daughters, asking them to produce the stolen amount. Latif said they had no knowledge of the amount.

“They kicked her and beat her up with sticks,” Latif said. The police, he said, fled from the place when his wife’s condition worsened due to the beating. She was taken to a doctor but could not survive the wounds.

The Nishter Hospital record, however, showed that the woman was a gastroenteritis patient and died due to the disease. Nazir Abbass, the superintendent of police (SP) City, said the woman’s son was accused of stealing the amount and the police had carried the raid to recover it. He, however, rejected that the woman died due to police’s beating.

The police have yet not undertaken the post mortem of the woman.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13^th, 2010.