PESHAWAR: Following four custodial deaths in the last one year, the capital city police have installed closed-circuit television cameras inside the lockups of all local police stations, provided them with lifesaving drugs, and trained staff members to prevent the demise of detainees.

The police officials told Dawn that custodial deaths were reported in the lockups of the University Town, Agha Mir Jani, Hashtnagri and Khan Razik Shaheed police stations.

They said first aid training had also been imparted to the clerks of all police stations by the Services Hospital doctors.

The officials said the video surveillance of lockups, provision of lifesaving drugs, and training of the police stations’ employees were meant to prevent death of the accused in detention.

They said orientation sessions were held for the clerks of police stations to tackle untoward incidents in lockups, while healthcare emergency numbers were displayed at prominent places inside police stations.

Officials say CCTV cameras, lifesaving drugs in police stations to prevent such deaths

The officials said the police registered FIRs of custodial deaths and ordered judicial inquiries into them.

According to them, Fida Mohammad detained on the charge of mobile phone theft died in the Agha Mir Jani Shah police station lockup on Nov 26, 2018, leading to the registration of a case against the then SHO, inspector Ebad Wazir, and his gunner, Rahat Shah.

However, the family of the deceased made a compromise with the police officer and thus, leading to the disposal of the case by the court of law.

On Sept 2, 2019, Imranullah was found dead at the University Town police station.

The officials said a judicial inquiry revealed that the accused was a drug addict, who died a natural death and that no foul play was involved in the death.

On Oct 11, 2019, Syed Ajmal Shah held for theft in the Lady Reading Hospital died at the Khan Raziq Shaheed police station.

The detainee had allegedly stolen a nurse’s purse and was identified by the hospital security staff through a CCTV camera footage. The purse was recovered from him afterward.

The officials said the nurse later submitted a complaint to the LRH DSP (security) claiming that her mobile phone, which she kept in the purse, was missing.

The accused was handed over to the relevant police station at around 2pm on Oct 11, while other detainees informed the duty cop at around 7:30pm that the accused didn’t feel well. He was shifted to the LRH, where the doctors pronounced him dead.

The officials said the body was shifted to the Khyber Medical College for postmortem, whose report was still awaited.

They said the deceased was reportedly a heart patient besides being a drug addict and was kept behind bars earlier too in a mobile phone snatching case.

The officials said a judicial inquiry was later launched into the death and that action would be taken in the case in light of the inquiry findings.

On Oct 1, 2019, Naveed detained in a police station over the torture of a resident was rushed to the LRH after he fell ill, but the doctors declared him dead.

The deceased and his brother, Zahirullah, were held on the complaint of Mushtaq of Jamil Chowk.

The accused’s family later registered a case of his murder against complainant Mushtaq and his brother, Ahmad Gul, claiming he (accused) had chest pain after being hit with some object.

In a statement issued here, capital city police officer Mohammad Ali Gandapur said the police had zero tolerance towards custodial deaths and had taken several steps to prevent them.

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2019