ISLAMABAD: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Khan Buzdar has ordered a judicial inquiry into death of a suspect in Rahim Yar Khan (RYK) police custody.
Salahuddin Ayubi was arrested last Friday after his video showing him stealing ATM cards from a booth and making faces at the camera had gone viral on social media.
The man was arrested within 24 hours of the release of video on social media and the local police of City A-Division produced him before the media as its great achievement.
However, the man was later allegedly tortured to death last Sunday. He was brought to the hospital in RYK where doctors pronounced him dead.
The Punjab as well as the federal government came under tremendous pressure and facing criticism for Ayubi’s death in custody. The chief minister of the province in order to cool down people’s boiling tempers has ordered a judicial inquiry into the death.
Besides, a murder case has also been registered against three police officials including the Station House Officer (SHO) City A-Division.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab Capt (Retd) Arif Nawaz Khan suspended District Police Officer of RYK Umar Farooq Salamat and a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).
In another case of death in police custody, the IGP has suspended an SP of Lahore Cantonment Mohammad Asim for negligence in the inquiry. A gardener by profession, Mohammad Ali was picked on charges of robbery and was allegedly tortured to death by Lahore police.
Ali was also brought to a local hospital on Sunday where before dying he recorded in his statement that he was picked by Gujjarpura police and was kept in a private cell and tortured repeatedly.
The torture cell was detected in a building of the forest department where nine suspects, including Ali, were illegally kept by the police for ‘interrogation’.
An inquiry into Ali’s death in police custody has also been ordered.
Meanwhile, criticism on police treating public harshly and roughly had not ceased when another video footage showing an officer of police station Anarkali in Lahore has gone viral on social media.
In the video clip the Assistant Sub-Inspector Arif can be seen yelling an old lady sitting on a wheelchair, arguing with her and throwing away her stick.
Taking prompt notice of the video clip that is viral on social media, spokesperson of the Punjab government, Dr Shahbaz Gill taking prompt notice of the incident posted on social media that the said police officer has been put under suspension and arrested for misbehaving with an old woman. According to reports, the woman had come to Inspector General Punjab Arif Nawaz Khan to submit an application.
