SIALKOT The Sadar police on Friday registered a case against 14 policemen, including its suspended SHO, in the wake of the murder of two brothers by a mob.
The police arrested Inspector Rana Mohammad Illyas, who was the Sadar SHO when a mob tortured the two brothers to death suspecting them to be robbers on Aug 15 last.
The case has been registered also against sub-inspector Gulzar Khan, ASIs Waris Ali, Riaz Tariq, Nathey Khan and Sarfraz Khan, and eight constables under Section 155-C of the Police Ordinance for their slackness leading to the lynching of two youths.
District Police Officer Waqar Ahmad Chauhan had already suspended these police officials and ordered a strict departmental probe against them.
Meanwhile, the Sadar police have registered a case against 17 people who killed Hafiz Moeez Butt and Muneeb Butt, residents of Hajipura, near Doburji Malhiyaan. Zarrar Butt, an uncle of the deceased, lodged the FIR. The police claimed having arrested some of the nominated accused.
According to the FIR, the brothers were going to see their relatives in Buttar village when some people caught them and raised an alarm that they were robbers. In a brazen display of mob justice, they tortured the brothers with wooden sticks and iron rods and hanged their bodies with a tree and tried to burn these.
The grieved family later demanded justice and stern legal action against the police officials who failed to rescue the innocent youth. They said the lads were killed in the wake of a dispute over a cricket match they played some time ago.
The chief justices of the apex court and the Lahore High Court have taken suo motu notice of the incident. The LHC has summoned the Sialkot police chief within three days with an exhaustive inquiry report.
Meanwhile, District Coordination Officer Mujahid Sherdil has said the Sialkot police had played a role of a silent spectator during the brutal killing of the two youth.
In a letter written to the district police officer, he said the youth were innocent and had been subjected to torture in the presence of the police (including senior officers).
DPO, SP made OSD
The Inspector General of Police, Punjab, on Friday made Sialkot district police officer Waqar Ahmad Chauhan and SP investigation officer on special duty.
According to an IGP office announcement, an inquiry committee comprising Chuhng police training school head DIG Major Mubashir and DIG establishment Shoaib Dastgir had been formed to look into the killing of two brothers by a mob and alleged police negligence.
The committee has been asked to give its findings in a week.
Meanwhile, a handout quoting the chief minister said the DSP (City) has also been transferred as OSD.
The chief minister asked DIG Major Mubashar to arrest all the accused involved in this incident, including those among the audience. “Major Mubashar along with his team has reached Sialkot and will give minute-to-minute reports of this operation to the CM,” the handout said.
