A case was registered against cops after a senior labour leader died under mysterious circumstances during custody in Karachi.
Gadani ship-breaking workers union president Babu Karim Jan had died under mysterious circumstances on Sunday morning, soon after being arrested by police from his residence in Metroville, located in the city’s SITE area.
While police claimed that Jan died of a heart attack when he was arrested, his relatives and friends said he was killed because of torture during police custody. They held a protest demonstration outside the Karachi Press Club on Sunday evening.
Speaking to local media, Karachi West SSP Shaukat Khatian said a case has been registered against the raiding police party on a complaint of Jan’s family on charges of negligence.
No policeman has been arrested thus far.
SSP Khatian also disclosed that two attempted murder cases against the deceased labour leader had been handed over to the deputy inspector general of the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) by the Karachi police chief, AIG Amir Ahmed Shaikh, for investigation purposes.
AIG Shaikh on Monday took notice of Jan’s death and ordered an inquiry to ascertain the circumstances and events that led to his death, police officials said.
The city police chief along with DIG West Amin Yousafzai and SSP Khatian visited the deceased’s home and expressed his condolences with the family members as well as people gathered in the area.
He informed the family that a team led by DIG CIA Arif Hanif has been established to probe the incident.
AIG Shaikh, according to a police spokesperson, has promised that a case would be registered against the police party that carried out the raid “if they were found involved in the incident”.
Shaikh added that justice would also be provided in the cases registered against the deceased and his son Aminul Haq.
Family members and elders in the area expressed their gratitude to the police for taking action against the police team concerned, according to the police spokesperson.