Around 50 relatives of Ijaz, who was arrested by the Baghbanpura Police in June and died on July 22 at Services Hospital, staged a protest outside the Baghbanpura Police Station and kept Main GT Road blocked for around an hour on Tuesday.
Protestors chanted slogans against police and held it responsible for death of Ijaz. The protestors claimed that police, during illegal custody, badly tortured him due to which his kidneys stopped working. Shahbaz, brother of Ijaz, told journalists that police arrested his brother on June 2 for suspicion of being involved in a robbery. He claimed that an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of the Baghbanpura Police took him into custody.
Shahbaz said that police kept him in illegal custody for more than 13 days and subjected him to severe torture due to which his kidneys stopped working. He said that police, on seeing his brother’s deteriorating condition, rushed him to different doctors but doctors refused to provide health care to Ijaz. Ijaz’s brother said that police involved his brother in a fake case of weapon carrying and presented him in court which ordered to send Ijaz on judicial remand.
He said that Ijaz went critical in jail after which jail officials rushed him to Services Hospital where he died owing to his injuries. Shahbaz said that his brother married a woman, whom he divorced later over domestic matters. He claimed that Yaseen, brother of Ijaz’s wife, had a grudge against Ijaz and with help of ASI of the Baghbanpura Police, developed a plot to torture his brother. He said that Yaseen and the ASI kept Ijaz detained in a private torture cell located near Jallo More where they subjected Ijaz to severe torture.
Shahbaz said that they also filed a writ petition in the Lahore High Court against the Baghbanpura Police. Baghbanpura Police Station Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Asim Kamboh reached the police station after hearing about the protest. Kamboh requested the protestors to clear the road. Protestors filed a complaint with the DSP and on his assurance ended the protest. The DSP told journalists that police had received a complaint formally and will investigate it. He said that if anyone was found guilty during the course of investigation, then he would be dealt with according to law.
