Police torture constable’s son to death

The Lower Mall Police tortured the son of a constable to death during custody on Sunday. Family of the deceased held a protest against police and kept Karbala Gamay Shah Chowk, just outside the Lower Mall Police Station, blocked for more than five hours. Policemen avoided coming out of the police station and only Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Shahdara Circle Riaz Shah reached the spot.
The deceased was identified as Tahir Naveed, a resident of Islampura and son of on-duty Constable Naveed Iqbal, who was posted in Investigation Wing of the Johar Town Police Station. Naveed Iqbal told journalists that his son was arrested by the Lower Mall Police on special direction of Superintendent of Police (SP) City Dr Shahzad for murder of two policemen, who were shot dead by unidentified men in March in the Lower Mall Police Area. He said that his son was on his honeymoon when the SP City requested his help for arresting his son.
Iqbal said that he, on direction of the Lower Mall Police, asked his son to return immediately and on his return, he handed over his son to the SP City for investigation of the aforesaid case. The constable said that the Lower Mall Police investigated his son Tahir and severely tortured him. He said that police have also arrested two other young men including Faisal Gujjar and Rashid for being involved in the case.
Iqbal said that on Sunday, he came to know that the Lower Mall Police have tortured his son to death and removed his body to the morgue for autopsy. He said that Misri Shah SHO Maqsood Gujjar, Lower Mall SHO Naveed Azam, Lower Mall Police Sub-Inspectors Aleem Khan and Nasir, ASI Akbar and three to four constables killed his son for Rs 0.5 million, which the policemen were demanding for releasing his son.
He claimed that according to SHO Lower Mall Naveed Azam, police demanded Rs 0.5 million because Rs 0.2 million would be given to SP City Dr Shahzad while the rest would be distributed between them for keeping their mouth shut after releasing his son. The constable said that SP Shahzad was also aware of the details and torture on his son. He said that the Lower Mall Police severely tortured his son and even the CIA Police refused to take his son into custody for investigation.
Iqbal said that CIA SP Umer Virak personally investigated his son and declared him innocent but the Lower Mall Police killed him for nothing. After being informed about death of Tahir Naveed in police custody, dozens of his family members, friends and local residents reached outside the Lower Mall Police Station and held a protest. They kept the road blocked for more than five hours by burning tyres. The protestors chanted slogans against police and demanded immediate justice. They tortured the board of the Lower Mall Police Station and tried to enter the police station but in vein.
DSP Shahdara Riaz Shah talked to the protestors and managed to pursue Iqbal for not nominating SP City Dr Shahzad in the case. Protestors disbursed on the assurance that legal action would be taken against the responsible. After 9 pm, the New Anarkali Police registered a case against the aforesaid policemen on complaint of the deceased’s mother Dilshad Begum and started investigation. Three brothers of the deceased have already died and now Naveed Iqbal lost his fourth son due to police torture. Three cases of police torture have appeared during the last week.
Earlier, a 39-year-old man, a resident of Okara, was tortured to death by the Green Town Police and a few days later on Saturday, a resident of Kot Lakhpat Area protested against police for torturing his son to death.