Illegal detention: Police officials to be booked for kidnapping
Sindh High Court orders FIR against Mirpur Bathoro SHO.
KARACHI:
A division bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC) ordered on Wednesday the police authorities to file a criminal case against police officials of Mirpur Bathoro taluka for keeping a young man in illegal custody for 21 days.
The bench comprising Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Imam Bux Baloch heard a habeas corpus petition (against illegal detention), filed by Muhammad Qasim Chang, the uncle of Ghulam Shabbir Chang. Shabbir was taken into custody on November 21, 2010 from his residence by former SI Daim Khaskheli and other police officials of PS Mirpur Bathoro.
On Wednesday, the petitioner appeared before the bench and informed the court that his nephew has returned home now. Shabbir was also produced in court. In response to a query, he pointed out and identified the officials who had imprisoned him.
Earlier, the SHO, SPO and other police officials had all filed and submitted comments separately, denying that Shabbir was in their custody. The bench expressed displeasure over the false statement made by the police officials before the court.
Shabbir’s statement was recorded, after which the bench ordered that a case be registered against the policemen who kept Shabbir behind bars without registering any case or charge against him.
SHO Daim Khaskheli stated in his comments that before the alleged arrest of Shabbir, a man identified as Niaz Ali Pathan, a resident of Karachi, was killed within the jurisdiction of his police station on November 10 at 12:30. The crime scene was just one kilometre away from Ghazi Chang village, which is where Shabbir lives.
The SHO also submitted in writing that the Sindh Inspector General Police had suspended him on November 14 because of that murder. And since Shabbir was allegedly arrested on November 21, eight days after he was suspended from duty, Khaskheli could not be involved in the case.
The bench, however, disposed of the matter with directions of registration of a kidnapping case against the police officials with a compliance report to the SHC.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 16th, 2010.
A division bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC) ordered on Wednesday the police authorities to file a criminal case against police officials of Mirpur Bathoro taluka for keeping a young man in illegal custody for 21 days.
The bench comprising Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Imam Bux Baloch heard a habeas corpus petition (against illegal detention), filed by Muhammad Qasim Chang, the uncle of Ghulam Shabbir Chang. Shabbir was taken into custody on November 21, 2010 from his residence by former SI Daim Khaskheli and other police officials of PS Mirpur Bathoro.
On Wednesday, the petitioner appeared before the bench and informed the court that his nephew has returned home now. Shabbir was also produced in court. In response to a query, he pointed out and identified the officials who had imprisoned him.
Earlier, the SHO, SPO and other police officials had all filed and submitted comments separately, denying that Shabbir was in their custody. The bench expressed displeasure over the false statement made by the police officials before the court.
Shabbir’s statement was recorded, after which the bench ordered that a case be registered against the policemen who kept Shabbir behind bars without registering any case or charge against him.
SHO Daim Khaskheli stated in his comments that before the alleged arrest of Shabbir, a man identified as Niaz Ali Pathan, a resident of Karachi, was killed within the jurisdiction of his police station on November 10 at 12:30. The crime scene was just one kilometre away from Ghazi Chang village, which is where Shabbir lives.
The SHO also submitted in writing that the Sindh Inspector General Police had suspended him on November 14 because of that murder. And since Shabbir was allegedly arrested on November 21, eight days after he was suspended from duty, Khaskheli could not be involved in the case.
The bench, however, disposed of the matter with directions of registration of a kidnapping case against the police officials with a compliance report to the SHC.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 16th, 2010.