Law and order: Villagers protest against police inaction

Say the Lundianwala SHO refused to register a murder complaint.

FAISALABAD:

Hundreds of residents of Chak 228-RB, Jaranwala Road, on Tuesday staged a protest demonstration against police for its failure to arrest murder suspects. 

Muhammad Ismail, one of the protestors, told the media that Muhammad Arif and Nawaz had an old rivalry. On Monday he said Yaseen, Sahib Khan, Nawaz and Pappu visited Arif’s house and told him that a panchayat had been arranged to settle the dispute.

“They took Arif to Dallo Di Jhok where Nawaz and Pappu opened fire at him...  when Yaseen and Sahib Khan tried to save Arif, they shot at them too.”



Ismail said Arif died on the spot. He said Yaseen and Khan were taken to a hospital where they succumbed to their injuries.

He said when he went to file a complaint with police the Lundianwala station house officer “not only refused to register a murder case but also pressured us to withdraw the complaint.”

The protestors including woman and their children blocked the Zila Council Chowk and demanded that the culprits be immediately arrested.



The demonstration ended after police assured the protestors that the matter would be dealt with in accordance with law.

The Lundianwala SHO told The Express Tribune that he had never refused to register a case. “I advised them to register the case with Saddar police as Arif belonged to that area,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 5^th, 2014.