Death in detention: Court orders FIR against Mathra SHO

PESHAWAR:

The court of an additional sessions judge ordered the registration of an FIR against Mathra SHO and two other cops for allegedly torturing a retired serviceman to death in police custody.

The directive was issued by additional sessions judge Azhar Ali on Friday on the application of the deceased Syed Bahar’s son Syed Farooq Khan. Farooq’s counsel Shakeel Ahmad Khalil told the court Bahar was a retired employee of the Pakistan Army.

Mathra SHO Abdul Jalal, sub-inspector Mushtaq and constable Naeem arrested him on April 12. “The father of my client was named in a fake narcotics case. The family was asked to meet Bahar during court proceedings but that too was not allowed,” said Khalil.

He said a few days after the arrest, Central Prison Peshawar superintendent called Farooq, informing him Bahar had died in jail and that he should come and receive the body. The superintendent had added “the deceased arrived at the jail on a stretcher in a very bad condition.”

“The family says Bahar was severely tortured and died as a result. It is a clear case of murder. They were not even provided an autopsy report,” the court was told by the lawyer.

Bahar’s family approached the police to register an FIR against the accused policemen but was refused. The counsel requested the court to issue directives so the accused can be taken to task. After hearing detailed arguments, the court ordered East Cantonment SHO to register an FIR against Jalal, Mushtaq and Naeem.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19^th, 2015.