HYDERABAD: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sindh Mushtaq Mahar on Monday ordered a fully-fledged inquiry to evaluate the “overall conduct of all senior supervisory gazetted officers and non-gazetted officers of Hyderabad district police”.

Initially, an inquiry was ordered on Aug 22 against senior superintendent of police (SSP) Hyderabad, one deputy superintendent of police (DSP), two inspectors and two sub-inspectors.

But on Aug 24 the inquiry’s scope was widened to include all senior supervisory officers of Hyderabad district, police chief, DSP and others.

Senior supervisory officers include the DIG of Hyderabad range and AIG of Hyderabad region.

Informed police sources confirmed that inquiry was to be completed within 30 days by a committee headed by DIG Police South Karachi Javed Akbar Riaz and SSP South Shiraz Nazeer.

“The inquiry to evaluate conduct of the Hyderabad SSP, misconduct of DSP Fahim Farooqui and charges against two inspectors and two sub-inspectors for patronising organised crime after SSP Adeel Chandio and DIG Police Hyderabad range Naeem Sheikh sought transfer of Mr Farooqui from Hyderabad district,” said a police source.

DSP Farooqui, inspectors Javed Jalbani and Junaid Abbasi (former DIB Hyderabad in-charge), sub inspectors Munir Abbasi and Niaz Panhwar have been transferred from Hyderabad immediately vide IGP’s Aug 22 order. They have reported to Central Police Office (CPO) Karachi.

IGP Mahar while widening scope of the inquiry on Aug 24 tasked the committee to recommend departmental action against the delinquent officers.

The inquiry, apparently, is an offshoot of a row that has been going on between outgoing additional inspector general (AIG) police Hyderabad region Ghulam Qadir Thebo and SSP Hyderabad Adeel Chandio, policemen privy to the controversy confided to Dawn.

“The SSP and DIG Police Hyderabad Range Naeem Sheikh had been on the same wavelength against the DSP, but Farooqui remained in good books of ex-AIG Thebo,” said a source. In a probe, SP Sujawal Suhai Aziz found Mr Farooqui guilty of tampering with official police record in an inquiry.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2020