Drinking and driving: ‘Drunk’ cop runs into motorcyclist, 3 injured

Denies drinking, says he has naturally bloodshot eyes.

LAHORE:

A police inspector and his driver have been taken into custody after three people were injured in an accident involving his car on Saturday.

Inspector Zubair Akhtar’s driver Muhammad Tahir told the police that the official was leaving Lahore when his car rammed into a rickshaw.

The rickshaw driver was compensated with Rs10,000 rupees by the police inspector. The driver said he drove up drove up the Garhi Shahu bridge from the wrong direction by mistake and his car collided with a motorbike. When he was reversing his car, it also hit a pedestrian.

The motorcyclist suffered a broken knee in the accident and was taken to Gangaram Hospital.

Akhtar was caught and witnesses said he was inebriated.

He roughed by some people who said he had threatened them with “dire consequences.” He insisted that he was not drunk.

“I have puffy, bloodshot eyes which some people associate with drunkenness,” Akhtar told newsmen.

Police were called to rescue Akhtar who then got into trouble with the media, breaking a TV camera and damagaing a tripod.

Police sources said two bottles of liquor were recovered from the car.

Operations DIG Rana Abdul Jabbar took notice of the incident and ordered an FIR against the inspector and his driver, Muhammad Tahir.

Akhtar and Tahir were taken to Misri Shah police station and an FIR under Section 427 (mischief leading to damage) was registered on the complaint of Express News cameraman Muhammad Shukran.

Another FIR was lodged by the injured motorcyclist under Section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the PPC and several traffic violations.

Akhtar’s driver claimed responsibility for the accident(s). He said he had lost control when a speeding car overtook them.

The inspector said he had been asleep on the back seat when the accident happened. He also offered the complainants compensation for material losses.

Ashraf Naushahi, the injured man, insisted that Akhtar had been in the driving seat when he was hit.

The Punjab inspector general of police has also taken notice of the incident and ordered the CCPO to submit a report by Sunday (today).

‘Drunk or not?’

An FIR under Section 86 of the PPC that prohibits voluntary drunkenness was not registered against the inspector. He was first taken Kot Khwaja Saeed Hospital for medical examination and later referred to Mian Munshi Hospital.

Mian Munshi Hospital Chief Medical Officer Muhammad Usman said he lacked authority to give the intoxication test. He said a board of doctors examined officers above grade 15.

A hospital official speaking on condition of anonymity said the police had pressured doctors not to conduct examination.

He said a board could be convened within hours but the police had deferred the issue till Monday.

City SP Mufakhir Adeel said constituting a board was the hospital administration’s responsibility and not the police.

He said police had faced similar problems in the past as well.

SP Adeel said the section on illegal possession of liquor had been added to the FIR against the official.

Gunjranwala Civil Lines SP Shoaib Khurram Janbaz told The Express Tribune that Akhtar had a reputation for drinking.

He said the inspector had been warned several times to improve his conduct.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2013.