Death in police custody: Family attacks police station, demands justice

Protesters accuse police of killing Baloch and framing it as suicide.

KARACHI: Family members of an alleged bandit, who died in police custody, attacked Risala police station on Saturday.

A large number of enraged protesters, along with the body, gathered outside Risala police station in Saddar Town and caused damage to the property. The mob was so violent that police officers and constables were forced to run for their lives. Traffic on the road outside the station also remained suspended during the protest.

The family accused the police of killing the accused, Imran Baloch, while the police insisted that Baloch committed suicide.

According to the police, 24-year-old Baloch, son of Abdul Rehman Baloch, was arrested on December 15 while he was stealing a motorcycle on James Terrace Road, Nanakwara. The motorcyclist, Humayun Mushtaq, overpowered Baloch and called the police, said Risala Police SIO Nazeer.

The police lodged an FIR No. 387/10 under section 382 against the accused and presented the accused before court. The magistrate gave the police a three-day, physical remand for further interrogation, said Nazeer. The accused had also been arrested by Kharadar police two months ago for possessing illegal weapons. An FIR No. 673/10 under section 382 was lodged against him, he added. On Friday, most of the policemen were deployed on the Ashura procession routes and only three policemen were on duty, said Nazeer. One of the policemen gave food to Baloch around 2:30 pm but when his family members came to visit him at 4 pm, he was not around.

The policemen said that Baloch was in the bathroom, where he was found hanging from the exhaust fan window. His body was moved to Civil Hospital, Karachi, after some delays but the post-mortem could not be conducted as all the doctors were busy.

Later, the body was shifted to Edhi morgue and the legal formalities were completed on Saturday, under the supervision of MLO Qarar Abbasi.

Baloch’s relatives and neighbours took to the streets when they found out about his death. They also took his body to the police station to demand justice.

One of the relatives accused the police of demanding a bribe during his hearing in court. He said that the investigation officer asked the family to pay Rs5,000 if they wanted to protect Baloch from torture.

Baloch’s elder brother, Amir, told PPI that the police arrested his brother while he was riding a bicycle. He also claimed that the police demanded a bribe of Rs30,000 for Baloch’s release.

The protesting family claimed that the police had killed Baloch and then framed it as a suicide. They said the initial post-mortem report suggests that Baloch’s death was not a suicide.

Saddar SP Arshad Sahar also reached the station to negotiate with the protesters. He assured the family members that a committee has been formed to investigate the death. The committee will compile its report based on the medical and inquiry report, he said.

Sahar said that if the inquiry report shows that Baloch did not commit suicide, then action will be taken against the relevant police officers.

Baloch was the third among six siblings and was a resident of the Sheedi Arabi Masjid area, Yousuf Haroon Road in Baghdadi. He was buried in Mewa Shah graveyard.

With additional input from PPI

Published in The Express Tribune, December 19^th, 2010.