Family of deceased TV mechanic succumbs to alleged police pressure
Jirga held in the office of Jamaat-e-Islami, Shikarpur, on Saturday to resolve the matter out of court
PHOTO: AFP
SUKKUR:
The family of deceased television mechanic Saleem Kamangar, who died due to alleged torture in police custody at Lakhidar police station on September 24, settled the matter for Rs1.5 million in a jirga held in the office of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Shikarpur, on Saturday night.
The jirga was jointly presided over by JI Shikarpur chapter secretary-general Advocate Ali Asghar Pahore, Bhittai Bazaar Shopkeepers Association president Afzal Mughal and Shikarpur Bachayo Tehreek chairperson Mian Zafar Alvi. All three of them confirmed the holding of the jirga when contacted by The Express Tribune.
On September 24, the night before Eid, CIA official Imdad alias Commando Brohi, along with two police constables of Lakhidar police station, Qaim Ali Shah and Dadan Jalbani, raided the shop of TV mechanic Kamangar in Bhittai Bazar. The policemen dragged the shopkeeper out of the shop and took him to the police station for not replacing the remote control device Brohi had purchased from his shop 15 days ago.
The man was mercilessly tortured in the lockup. In the meantime, office-bearers of a trader’s association went to the police station and requested the law enforcers to let him go due to his poor condition. The policemen let Saleem out of the lockup, who was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he died within 10 minutes.
Besides a large number of traders and citizens, the jirga was also attended by the brother and sons of Kamangar and relatives of the policemen allegedly involved in the torture and murder. After hearing both the parties at length, the jirga found the policemen, including Imdad, Shah and Jalbani, guilty of torturing and killing Kamangar and imposed a fine of Rs1.5 million on them. Both the parties reportedly accepted the verdict of the jirga and an amount of Rs100,000 was paid to the sons of the deceased on the spot. Another Rs500,000 were supposed to be paid on Monday evening while the remaining amount is due for November 5.
Alvi said that it was not a jirga but a sort of a reconciliatory meeting to resolve the issue. "I am well aware that holding such meetings is illegal and banned by the Supreme Court," he said. "[But] keeping in view the position of the family of the deceased, we thought it better to resolve the issue out of the court. Saleem was a poor man and, after his death, his sons could neither bear the expenses of the court nor resist police pressure. Therefore, they decided to resolve the matter [like this]."
Mughal said that Kamangar's family was under tremendous pressure by the police as they used to send different men to their home to resolve the matter out of court. "Saleem was our member and we, traders, were standing by his family but they gave in to the pressure," he said.
Pahore was also of the view that the jirga was a reconciliatory meeting to resolve the murder dispute. "As a lawyer, I know jirgas are banned throughout Sindh," he said. "But this was an effort to rid the poor family of police pressure."
Shikarpur SSP Nasir Aftab was unaware of the jirga. "The policemen involved in the torture and murder of Saleem performed the act in private capacity and it was not police action," he said. "And now, once again, they have reconciled the matter through a jirga in private capacity, therefore, I am least concerned with the matter."
Soon after the incident, these men were arrested and locked up, and an FIR was lodged according to the wishes of the family, he said. On the illegality of jirgas, the SSP said, "If anybody comes up with such complaints, we will surely take action according to the law."
Published in The Express Tribune, October 13th, 2015.
The family of deceased television mechanic Saleem Kamangar, who died due to alleged torture in police custody at Lakhidar police station on September 24, settled the matter for Rs1.5 million in a jirga held in the office of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Shikarpur, on Saturday night.
The jirga was jointly presided over by JI Shikarpur chapter secretary-general Advocate Ali Asghar Pahore, Bhittai Bazaar Shopkeepers Association president Afzal Mughal and Shikarpur Bachayo Tehreek chairperson Mian Zafar Alvi. All three of them confirmed the holding of the jirga when contacted by The Express Tribune.
On September 24, the night before Eid, CIA official Imdad alias Commando Brohi, along with two police constables of Lakhidar police station, Qaim Ali Shah and Dadan Jalbani, raided the shop of TV mechanic Kamangar in Bhittai Bazar. The policemen dragged the shopkeeper out of the shop and took him to the police station for not replacing the remote control device Brohi had purchased from his shop 15 days ago.
The man was mercilessly tortured in the lockup. In the meantime, office-bearers of a trader’s association went to the police station and requested the law enforcers to let him go due to his poor condition. The policemen let Saleem out of the lockup, who was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he died within 10 minutes.
Besides a large number of traders and citizens, the jirga was also attended by the brother and sons of Kamangar and relatives of the policemen allegedly involved in the torture and murder. After hearing both the parties at length, the jirga found the policemen, including Imdad, Shah and Jalbani, guilty of torturing and killing Kamangar and imposed a fine of Rs1.5 million on them. Both the parties reportedly accepted the verdict of the jirga and an amount of Rs100,000 was paid to the sons of the deceased on the spot. Another Rs500,000 were supposed to be paid on Monday evening while the remaining amount is due for November 5.
Alvi said that it was not a jirga but a sort of a reconciliatory meeting to resolve the issue. "I am well aware that holding such meetings is illegal and banned by the Supreme Court," he said. "[But] keeping in view the position of the family of the deceased, we thought it better to resolve the issue out of the court. Saleem was a poor man and, after his death, his sons could neither bear the expenses of the court nor resist police pressure. Therefore, they decided to resolve the matter [like this]."
Mughal said that Kamangar's family was under tremendous pressure by the police as they used to send different men to their home to resolve the matter out of court. "Saleem was our member and we, traders, were standing by his family but they gave in to the pressure," he said.
Pahore was also of the view that the jirga was a reconciliatory meeting to resolve the murder dispute. "As a lawyer, I know jirgas are banned throughout Sindh," he said. "But this was an effort to rid the poor family of police pressure."
Shikarpur SSP Nasir Aftab was unaware of the jirga. "The policemen involved in the torture and murder of Saleem performed the act in private capacity and it was not police action," he said. "And now, once again, they have reconciled the matter through a jirga in private capacity, therefore, I am least concerned with the matter."
Soon after the incident, these men were arrested and locked up, and an FIR was lodged according to the wishes of the family, he said. On the illegality of jirgas, the SSP said, "If anybody comes up with such complaints, we will surely take action according to the law."
Published in The Express Tribune, October 13th, 2015.