LAHORE: DIG Operations Shahzad Akbar has dismissed two constables from service for torturing a group of girls who the officials claimed to have been involved in obscene activities, local media reports have informed.
The police officials, who have been found guilty, also allegedly filmed the incident during the raid and the DIG has sought an explanation from an ASP over this alleged negligence. He has referred the case for a regular inquiry to further probe ASI Muhammad Zulfiqar and Factory Area SHO Bihar Hussain who carried out the raid at the farmhouse and arrested the girls and a group of men.
The incident of torture of the girls came into the spotlight after the video recorded by the policemen went viral on social media and was aired by news channels.
The footage showed lady constable Nusrat Inayat lining up the girls and her colleague Abdul Manan recording the incident on a mobile phone camera. The lady constable also slapped the girls when they requested the police officials not to record it.
After the video went viral, the DIG directed SSP Operations Asad Sarfraz to look in the matter. During the course of the inquiry, it transpired that the incident of torture of girls occurred when the SHO and the ASI were on a ‘search mission’ inside an attached building.
The SSP held the constables responsible for torturing the girls and recording the incident, recommending to the DIG the punishment of dismissal from service. They were also held guilty of making the video public, said the source.
However, both the officials defended their position by saying this video was officially recorded by them to be shared with the media. They claimed that the divisional SP and other senior police officers had earlier lauded their performance on seeing this very video. A copy of this recording was officially released to the senior police officers concerned as well as the media for coverage.
Asad Sarfraz said that though there was nothing illegal about the police raid, the torture of the girls and its video embarrassed the police force. He said the girls were involved in obscene activities and a case was registered against them the day the raid was carried out.