PESHAWAR, Dec 13: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday took a suo motu notice of the killing of an alleged rape victim’s brother outside tehsil courts in Karak and directed the provincial home secretary and the provincial police officer (PPO) to ensure arrest of the accused within three days and immediate suspension of the relevant district police officer (DPO).

The court also took great exception to the policemen’s rally against the judiciary and for their three colleagues arrested over the girl’s alleged abduction and gang rape, and directed the DIG (investigation) to visit Karak, hold inquiry into the incident and submit a report within 10 days.

Chief Justice PHC Dost Mohammad Khan had taken a notice of the issue and summoned home secretary Mohammad Azam Khan and PPO Akbar Khan Hoti after receiving a report from the Karak district and sessions judge (DSJ).

While referring to a report prepared by the additional district and sessions judge of Takht Nusrati tehsil, the DSJ stated in his report that a large number of police officials took out the rally in uniform on December 9 and shouted slogans against the judiciary as the accused were produced before a judicial magistrate on completion of their physical custody.

The report also stated that the alleged rape victim’s brother, Alamzeb Khattak, was killed by Ibrahim Khan, brother of an accused, policeman Hakeem Khan, in the presence of a deputy superintendent of police and other police officials.

During the hearing, a PHC bench comprising Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth observed that most unfortunate aspect of the matter was that it was for the first time in history that in support of policemen held over heinous crime, the entire police force of the tehsil took out a procession in official uniform and shouted slogans against judiciary just to display blatant force under fallacious belief that they would be able to terrorise judiciary. It further said police would fail to achieve the ‘nefarious objective’.

Home secretary Moham-mad Azam said after the alleged rape victim surfaced, an inquiry into her charge was conducted by a committee headed by him before submitting a comprehensive report.

He read out several recommendations made in the report, including suspension of several police officials.

The PPO told the bench that after Alamzeb’s killing, he had suspended the relevant DSP and SHO. He requested the bench to give him time for action against others over negligence.

The bench observed that in view of the history of the case and the rally by them, police could not be trusted anymore and therefore, the DSJ and ADSJ would personally look into the matter extensively. It later authorised the two to arrest and jail any police officer suspected to be involved in the killing.

The bench asked them to thoroughly peruse entire file of the case, examine all relevant witnesses, conduct comprehensive inquiry (into the matter) within seven days before submitting final report to the court’s registrar for further action against police officials over indiscipline.

The PPO was told to arrange a special squad from Peshawar or Kohat to produce the alleged rape victim and complainant in the Alamzeb murder case on the next hearing to record their statements. The hearing was later fixed for December 29.

The bench also issued a show-cause notice to DIG Kohat for explanation over failure to visit Karak after the gang rape incident was reported, and non-implication of senior and junior police officials in the rape and threat to the girl.