Family of man ‘tortured to death’ protest

Youth killed by a landlord after mistakenly taking a dish used to put chick feed.

SARGODHA: The family of a man who passed away after passing a week in hospitals, on Wednesday protested outside the Sargodha district police officer (DPO), alleging that the youth was killed by a landlord over a false theft charge.

The Chawriya police station have arrested one of the four nominated in an FIR for the alleged murder of labourer Ajab Gul. The FIR, registered under Sections 302 and 342, accused Mohsin, Bashir, Rab Nawaz and Zahid of torturing Gul by keeping him in illegal detention.

It stated that Gul was hung upside down and beaten up by Mohsin and his men over a false theft charge.

The remaining three accused have fled their homes. Rana Muhammad Yousaf, an investigation officer, said that police was carrying out raids for their arrest.

A cousin of one of the accused, Zahid, told The Express Tribune that Gul was picked up by Mohsin and his men, including Zahid, on October 27. He said that Gul’s family was poor and he used to collect wooden sticks from across different fields to burn his stove at home. On Oct 27, he said, while collecting sticks from near Mohsin’s bamboo fields Gul by chance picked up a dish used to put chick feed which belonged to Mohsin. He said that on finding out Mohsin and his men traced Gul and started beating him. He said that later they took him to their dera and tortured him.

The family reportedly got Gul freed by evening with assistance of the village elders.

The investigation officer said that Gul himself walked to the police station at night on October 27 to get a case registered against Mohsin and his men under section 342 of the Pakistan Penal Code (illegal detention). Yousaf said that though Gul was accusing Mohsin and his friends of torturing him by hanging him upside down, there were no torture marks or any signs of bleeding.

Dr Farhat Abbass, a physician at the Chawriya rural health centre, said that Gul was complaining about severe pain when he came to the centre. This, he said, made him suspect that Gul must have an internal wound. He said that he referred him to the district head quarters (DHQ) hospital Sargodha in light of his condition.

He was later referred to the Jinnah Hospital in Lahore where he passed away on Wednesday. The Jinnah Hospital report states ‘acute tubular necrosis’ as the cause of his death. His body was sent to his hometown where an autopsy has been carried out. The autopsy report would be available in 10 to 12 days.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2010.