Rule of law: Custodial killing, torture alleged

Father of the victim says he was arrested by police at their home.

BAHAWALPUR:

Nearly a hundred people on Saturday took out a protest rally against alleged death in custody and beating by police.

Haji Muhammad Bakhsh, father of a man police said had died in a shootout with them, told newsmen that on October 4, his son Tanveer Hussain was arrested by Kot Sabzal police in a raid at their house.

He said SHO Muslim Zia had led the team that arrested him in front of his family and took him to the police station where they beat him.

He said Hussain died from the injuries sustained in the beating.

He said later, police claimed he had died in a shootout near Zahirpir.

He said police also tried to bury the body after having his post mortem conducted from a rural health centre in Zahirpir.

He said Hussain’s family reached the health centre and demanded that the body be handed over to them.

He said the police harassed them, took their signatures on a blank paper and handed over the body.

The family chanted slogans against the police and placed the body of the victim on the ground. They said the chief minister should take notice of the incident.

Area Magistrate Malik Fawad Arif later issued orders for constitution of a medical board for Hussain’s post mortem examination on the complaint of his father.

Talking to newsmen, Zia rubbished Bakhsh’s claims, saying he had not arrested Hussain. He said Hussain had not been wanted by police in any case.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2014.