PHOTO: FARAZ KHAN
KARACHI: Three more police officials were suspended on Thursday following the death of a worker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Waseem Dehlavi, in police custody.
District Central Police Chief DIG Feroz Shah suspended the officers, including Baldia Town DSP Enayat Qureshi, Baldia SHO Mithal Sher and SITE SHO Shahzad Ilyas.
Shah who is heading the inquiry team constituted by IGP Sindh Ghulam Haider Jamali to probe the custodian death of MQM worker Waseem.
“I suspended these officers as they did not follow the legal procedure while the District East police raided within their jurisdiction,” DIG Shah explained while speaking to The Express Tribune.
“Right now, there is no major development into a case but soon the case will be probed.”
Dehlavi was reportedly tortured to death by police personnel at the Aziz Bhatti police station on Wednesday. The post-mortem report confirmed that Waseem died due to cardiac failure resulting from a head injury.
Read: Tortured to death: Political worker killed in police custody
A murder case has also been registered against the personnel at their own police station on the orders of Sindh IG Ghulam Haider Jamali.
Meanwhile, agitated protesters belonging to the MQM stormed the Baldia police station on Thursday afternoon. Police in their efforts to disperse the crowd resorted to aerial firing, among other measures.
Dehlavi, a father of three and an employee of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, was arrested along with two of his brothers during a raid at his house in Muhajir Camp, Baldia Town, on Tuesday morning. “Police personnel in plain clothes barged into our house and arrested them in front of the entire neighbourhood,” said his teary-eyed widow outside the hospital. “No inquiry committee can return my husband. The perpetrators should be killed in the same manner that they killed my husband.”
Read: MQM announces two-day mourning after worker dies in police custody
Shortly after Dehlavi’s death, the police released his two brothers. The brothers too accused the police of torturing Dehlavi and them too, after they were failed to give them a hefty amount of bribe. “Until Dehlavi was alive, we were hardened criminals and were accused of being involved in the Baldia factory fire and other crimes,” said Dehlavi’s brother, Adil. “If they were right, why did they release us now?” he questioned.
The body was taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for autopsy, where senior medico-legal officer Dr Aijaz Ahmed carried out his post-mortem. An initial report signed by Sindh Police surgeon Dr Jalil Qadir confirmed that the victim was killed due to torture. A copy of Dehlavi’s autopsy report, available with The Express Tribune, states that his head bore marks of deep cuts and his body bore torture marks. The report also reveals that he died of a heart attack following the torture.
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