TAXILA: Scores of protesters including women and children ransacked police station, damaged equipment and blocked G.T. Road near police station for hours on Saturday.

They were protesting against local police after a man died in police custody. Angry and charged protesters also damaged the ambulance which was carrying the body.

According to mother of the victim, the man, a resident of Touheedabad, was picked by Taxila police some 15 days ago and kept him at secret detention center where he succumbed to torture on Saturday.

Nadir, brother of the victim, said that police officials demanded a Rs4 million for his release and we being poor people somehow arranged a sum of Rs150,000 and paid to them but they did not release my brother.

Later, SSP operation Waseem Riaz along with SP Potohar circle Tariq Mehboob assured the protesters that strict departmental inquiry would be conducted against the culprit police officers.

Later, the protesters dispersed peacefully.

When contacted, the Police spokesman denied that police demanded money for his release and if the two cops received any illegal gratification, a departmental inquiry would be initiated against them.

Due to blockade of G.T. Road for around one hour, traffic remained suspended between Rawalpindi- Peshawar, Rawalpindi- Hattar and Rawalpindi- Haripur routes.

Long queues of vehicles especially buses and other passenger vehicles as well as ambulance were seen stuck for many hours as traffic warden and national highway and motorway police failed to restore traffic.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2022