(PPF/IFEX) – On 29 December 1997, journalist Qaiser Mahmood Khokhar was arrested and beaten by police in Lahore. Khokhar had gone to the police station to collect the discharge papers of a case registered against him on 1 December 1997. He was arrested by sub-inspector (SI) of police Farrukh Shah, and several policemen severely beat […]
(PPF/IFEX) – On 29 December 1997, journalist Qaiser Mahmood
Khokhar was arrested and beaten by police in Lahore. Khokhar had
gone to the police station to collect the discharge papers of a
case registered against him on 1 December 1997. He was arrested
by sub-inspector (SI) of police Farrukh Shah, and several
policemen severely beat the journalist while being detained.
According to press reports, a case was registered against Khokhar
on the complaint of one Gulsher. A few days after the case was
registered, five police officers in plain clothes tried to kidnap
the journalist from outside his office. As the policemen were in
plain clothes, the newsmen took them for kidnappers and a scuffle
ensued.
When Khokhar went to collect the discharge papers, the SI on duty
handcuffed and blindfolded the journalist and made him walk
barefoot through a local market. The SI also forced Khokhar to
tell the shopkeepers and passers-by that he was a journalist and
that he was being punished for creating trouble for the police.
Later, Khokhar was taken to a deserted place at around 3 am where
the police removed his handcuffs and ordered him to run away or
else he would be killed in a fake encounter, allegedly on the
orders of a senior police official.
In the meantime, a number of journalists gathered outside the
police station, and on the direction of the Public Relation
Officer of the Senior Superintendent of Police, several wireless
messages were sent to the SI to report back to the police station
with the accused journalist.
At around 4:15 am, policemen accompanying Khokhar came to the
police station where he narrated the ordeal in the presence of
the SI. The latter admitted to the newsmen that the case against
Khokhar was false.
When the matter was brought to the knowledge to the city Senior
Superintendent of Police, he suspended SI Farrukh Shah and other
officials. He also ordered the Superintendent of Police (SP) to
investigate the case against Khokhar. After hearing the
complaint, the SP found the case baseless and assured that it
would be withdrawn.
A group of journalists met the commissioner and demanded action
against the police officials for their misconduct. The
commissioner has ordered an investigation and suspended SI
Farrukh Shah.
