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Inquiry ordered into Umerkot blasphemy suspect’s ‘extrajudicial killing’
• Sindh police chief removes Mirpurkhas SSP; other officers also suspended
• Civil society demands judicial inquiry, seeks FIRs against cops involved
KARACHI/UMERKOT: Following the death of a blasphemy suspect in an alleged police encounter in Mirpurkhas, the Sindh police chief on Friday ordered an inquiry and removed the district’s senior superintendent of police (SSP).
The blasphemy suspect, Dr Shahnawaz Kunbhar, was killed on Thursday under controversial circumstances, leading to widespread public outcry.
Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ghulam Nabi Memon told Dawn that he had formed a senior-level committee to “ascertain the facts”.
He also removed SSP Mirpurkhas Capt (Retd) Muhammad Asad Ali from his position, directing him to report to the Central Police Office (CPO). SSP Tharparkar Shabir Ahmed Sethar was assigned to oversee Mirpurkhas district operations until further orders.
A committee headed by DIG Pervaiz Chandio of Shaheed Benazirabad, and including DIG Hyderabad Tariq Razzak Dharejo and SSP Badin Sheeraz Nazeer, has been tasked with completing the inquiry within seven days and submitting a report.
The investigation will focus on the circumstances surrounding the encounter and the registration of two FIRs (No. 47/2024 and 48/2024) at Sindhri Police Station on Sept 19.
Meanwhile, Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar acknowledged the growing unrest in Umerkot and widespread concerns over the incident. “The people are calling this an extrajudicial killing,” Mr Lanjar said, adding that the inquiry committee would determine whether any encounter took place at all.
He stressed that if Dr Kunbhar had committed blasphemy, he should have been tried under the law rather than subjected to mob justice. He also announced the suspension of several police officers, including DIG Mirpurkhas, SSP Mirpurkhas, the entire Criminal Investigation Agency (CIA) team and the SHO involved.
Civil society demands judicial inquiry
The incident has provoked outrage from civil society groups, who have condemned the killing as extrajudicial. The Joint Action Committee (JAC), a coalition of human rights defenders, called for a judicial inquiry into Dr Kunbhar’s death. The group demanded that the Sindh chief minister, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and the Sindh home minister take immediate action.
In a meeting at the National Commission for Human Rights (NHR) in Sindh, prominent activists — including Anis Haroon, Advocate Ali Palh, retired Justice Majida Razvi, Qazi Khizar and Sohail Sangi — rejected the police inquiry ordered by the Sindh home department.
They demanded that FIRs be registered against all police officers involved in the killing, including DIG Mirpurkhas Jawed Jiskani, SSP Mirpurkhas Chaudhry Asad, SHO Sindhri Niaz Khoso and CIA Incharge Inayat Zardari.
They also called for the international community, including the European Commission and US embassies, to deny visas and scholarships to the police officers “involved in the extrajudicial killing and who don’t respect human rights”.
The JAC accused the police of violating the trust of Dr Kunbhar’s family, who had voluntarily handed him over to authorities in Karachi. After the suspect’s death, two additional FIRs were registered against him, which the civil society denounced as a “drama”.
They also condemned the fact that the body was handed over to the family at night without police protection, allowing a mob to attack and burn the body before burial.
The meeting also deplored a nexus among police, a PPP lawmaker and religious extremists, who they said were glorifying the incident. They demanded the PPP leadership act against MNA Pir Ameer Ali Shah, who “glamourised the offence” by garlanding the police officers.
Meanwhile, the Sindhi Association of North America (SANA), in a statement, also demanded a judicial inquiry and arrest of the officers involved in the “extrajudicial killing” of the doctor.
Family blames police
Meanwhile, Dr Kunbhar’s mother demanded protection and exemplary punishment for the police officers involved. In a statement, she accused the police of killing her son, burning his body and inciting the mob. She appealed for a judicial inquiry into the incident, rejecting the police investigation ordered by the Sindh home department.
Talking to Dawn, she recounted that her family had entrusted her son to the police in Karachi after receiving assurances from SHO taluka Umerkot Allah Dino that he would be safe. However, she alleged that this trust was breached, leading to her son’s death in what she called an “extrajudicial act”.
Police actions condemned
The District Bar Association of Umerkot, under the chairmanship of General Secretary Javed S. Kunbhar, also condemned the police’s conduct. In a resolution passed during a meeting, the association criticised the police for acting like extremists and violating constitutional rights by killing the accused in a “staged encounter”.
The association demanded that the chief justice of the Sindh High Court order a judicial inquiry into the incident and take immediate action against the responsible police officers, including their suspension. They further called for protection for Dr Kunbhar’s family.
Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) Chairman Iqbal Detho also visited Umerkot and met with the bereaved family, local officials and civil society members. He expressed concern that for two days, Umerkot had been engulfed in chaos while police appeared to be under the influence of the mob.
Mr Detho emphasised that if Dr Kunbhar had been accused of a crime, he should have been tried according to the law. “This type of vandalism is against the rule of law and institutions,” he said and called for justice and protection for the victim’s family.
Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2024
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