- Traffic policemen booked for ‘unintentional’ death of youngster in Islamabad
RAWALPINDI: A protest over the death of a youngster allegedly in police custody ended after four police personnel were suspended on Monday.
Earlier, the youngster named Rehan was tortured to death in police custody, relatives of the deceased alleged. The relatives of the deceased, who was arrested on Sunday night, gathered at the police station in Ganj Mandi, claiming that the police tortured him to death.
Neighbours and family members of the man chanted slogans protesting and mourning his death.
The deceased’s brother said Rehan was a drug addict but not a drug seller. “My brother died due to police torture,” he said.
The deceased’s brother said that the police, without a search warrant, had forcefully entered their house and taken his brother into custody. He alleged that the police had asked Rehan to pay them a certain sum of money.
When he refused, the police tortured him and he died, the brother claimed, adding that his brother had no criminal record.
The four police personnel, including three police constables and Assistant Sub-Inspector Atiq, who had forcefully entered Rehan’s house, were suspended from duty.
DSP Islam and DSP Cantt Raja Tefor arrived at the scene shortly afterwards to control the situation. However, the residents demanded the suspension of DSP Islam and Station House Officer Raja Tahir, calling for a case be filed against them.
In another incident in Islamabad, a youth was killed and two others injured as capital police tried to stop them for violating traffic rules. Reports said that as the motorcycle rider youths did not stop, a police constable got hold of the arm of one youth, who fell from the bike and died after his head hit the road. The motorcycle also got out of control and the remaining two riders were also injured.
The incident took place in Blue Area in the vicinity of Kohsar police station.
Islamabad police on Monday nominated two traffic police officials in a first information report (FIR) of the 20-year-old man’s death. The family members of the victim were also nominated in the case.
Following the incident, people in the area surrounded the police officials, protesting their alleged involvement in the death and demanding their arrest. They were arrested after senior police officials arrived at the scene.
According to the FIR that was lodged 18 hours after the incident took place, the man died from a head injury from his fall. The FIR was registered under Section 320 of the Pakistan Penal Code under charges of unintentional murder.
However, residents of the 66 Quarter Christian Colony in a protest outside Kohsar police station demanded that the officers be booked under Section 302 for intentional murder.
A three-member investigation committee headed by Superintendent of Police (SP) City Ahmed Iqbal was formed to probe the incident.