POLICE ACTION JUN 2014: Model Town killings
Police held Minhaj workers responsible.
LAHORE:
At least 14 people were killed and hundreds were injured on June 17 in clashes between the police and Minhajul Quran activists over the removal of barriers in the vicinity of the MuQ Secretariat and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri’s residence in Model Town turned violent.
Police had held MuQ activists responsible for the violence in the first FIR of the incident. A joint investigation team (JIT) constituted to probe the violence had held senior police officials including Operations DIG Rana Abdul Jabbar, SPs Salman Ali Khan and Abdul Rahim Shirazi responsible for the violence in its report.
No action was taken against them and only five low-ranking policemen were arrested. MuQ activists, several dignitaries and some policemen had failed to appear before the JIT.
A second FIR of the incident was filed on the complaint of the MuQ months on August 28. Another JIT was formed to probe the violence after the registration of the FIR. The MuQ had said it was not satisfied with the constitution of the team and would not cooperate with it.
The findings of a one-man judicial commission probing the violence were not made public either.
Read the full year-in review here.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 31st, 2014.
At least 14 people were killed and hundreds were injured on June 17 in clashes between the police and Minhajul Quran activists over the removal of barriers in the vicinity of the MuQ Secretariat and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri’s residence in Model Town turned violent.
Police had held MuQ activists responsible for the violence in the first FIR of the incident. A joint investigation team (JIT) constituted to probe the violence had held senior police officials including Operations DIG Rana Abdul Jabbar, SPs Salman Ali Khan and Abdul Rahim Shirazi responsible for the violence in its report.
No action was taken against them and only five low-ranking policemen were arrested. MuQ activists, several dignitaries and some policemen had failed to appear before the JIT.
A second FIR of the incident was filed on the complaint of the MuQ months on August 28. Another JIT was formed to probe the violence after the registration of the FIR. The MuQ had said it was not satisfied with the constitution of the team and would not cooperate with it.
The findings of a one-man judicial commission probing the violence were not made public either.
Read the full year-in review here.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 31st, 2014.