Footage of brawl with traffic cops turn citizen to hero, then villain

Early footage showing policemen beating up citizen following parking dispute sparks outrage,
but CCTV camera recording reveals it was him who first assaulted a cop

Karachi

A brawl broke out between a man and some traffic policemen over a parking dispute near the PIDC Office on Monday, early footage of the citizen being thrashed by the cops and later locked up shirtless in jail first generating immense sympathy for him on TV channels and the social media, but a CCTV camera recording revealing later that it was him who had thrown the first blow.

A traffic policeman tried to stop Shafiq from parking his motorcycle in a no-parking area.

A heated argument followed that turned into a fight. The initial footage shown by TV channels showed traffic policemen hitting Shafiq with his helmet and punching him on the face. Later, Shafiq was shown locked up in jail, bruised and shirtless.

The footage sparked public outrage and condemnations followed.

SSP Traffic Faisal Chachar said an FIR had been lodged against Shafiq, but the traffic policeman who had thrashed him would be suspended.

He added that the FIR had been registered at the Civil Lines police station for obstructing the State’s affairs, assaulting police officials and causing public disorder.

Social media websites were flooded with posts sympathising with Shafiq and condemning the law enforcement agencies for committing excesses against citizens.

Political parties too did their bid by issuing statements against on incident.

Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman condemned the manhandling of the citizen and demanded that FIR against him be withdrawn.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Ali Zaidi expressed hope that action would be taken against the traffic policemen involved in the case.

Under pressure, the authorities were forced to release Shafiq.

However, a twist in the tale emerged with a new footage that showed that it was Shafiq who had first assaulted the traffic policemen.

A CCTV footage showed Shafiq striking the policeman during the argument after which the latter falls to the ground. Shafiq then went on to kick the fallen policeman and other cops rush to save him and restrain Shafiq.

However, when they tried to hold Shafiq, he lashed out at them. The policeman who had been attacked then returns to his feet and hit Shafiq with his helmet.