Contradictory claims: Suspend five police officials for ‘fake’ encounter, SHC orders

Petitioner claimed her brother was kidnapped from his workplace

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) ordered on Wednesday the suspension of five police personnel, including a police deputy superintendent, for allegedly killing an innocent man in a fake encounter.

A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh, also directed the South Zone DIG to conduct an inquiry into the alleged extra-judicial killing and submit a report by April 29.

The suspension order came on a petition filed by Sana Malik, seeking an inquiry into the killing of her brother, Abdullah, in a fake encounter and action against those responsible.

The petitioner had taken the provincial home secretary, the police IG, the West Zone DIG and SSP, the Korangi Industrial Area police SHO and the Rangers DG to court.

She submitted that her brother, who was working in a company in the Korangi Industrial Area, had been selected for appointment as a constable in the police department. Sometime later, two men on a motorcycle had taken away Abdullah from his workplace and the CCTV footage was also available with the employer firm.

The petitioner told the two judges that police officials had later claimed that a criminal was killed in encounter. She pleaded the court to order the police chief to conduct an impartial inquiry into the staged encounter of her brother. Till then, it was also requested that the policemen, who took part in the encounter, be suspended to ensure they don’t influence the investigation.

During Wednesday’s proceedings, the Additional IG for legal affairs, Mazhar Ali Shah, appeared in the court and said that an inquiry had already been initiated by the South Zone DIG.

The judges ordered that till the inquiry is concluded, the members of the police party, who allegedly participated in the aforementioned episode, be not assigned any field posting. Adjourning the hearing till April 29, the court also directed the South Zone DIG to appear with the inquiry report on the next date of hearing.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17^th, 2015.