A young man identified as Irfan, son of Ramzan, died allegedly from police torture in the custody of the Special Investigation Unit (SIU), prompting outrage from his family and the suspension of seven policemen, including three assistant sub-inspectors, on Friday.
According to initial reports, Irfan was detained along with three friends from Ayesha Manzil on Wednesday morning. On Thursday evening, his uncle was called to the SIU office and informed that Irfan had died in custody.
Following the incident, the victim’s family staged a protest outside the CIA Centre in Saddar, accusing SIU officials of torturing Irfan to death. The family demanded justice and strict action against those responsible.
Relatives said Irfan, a native of Bahawalpur, had come to Karachi for the first time to visit friends. They told that he was recording videos with his friends after breakfast at Ayesha Manzil when police detained them on suspicion and confiscated their mobile phones.
Family representative Azhar Zia said Irfan’s mother suffered a heart attack after receiving the tragic news and is currently under treatment at a hospital in Ahmedpur Sharqia. He added that senior police officials had contacted the family and assured them of justice.
According to statements from Irfan’s fellow detainees, police picked them up from Ayesha Manzil and blindfolded them. “The police kept beating us with batons and sticks,” said one of the victims, Salman, adding that they were moved to different locations over two days while being kept blindfolded and subjected to continuous physical abuse.
“When Irfan died due to the torture, only then did they remove our blindfolds,” he said. The post-mortem examination of the deceased was conducted at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre under the supervision of a magistrate. According to Police Surgeon Karachi Dr Summaiya, there were multiple injury marks on the victim’s body, while the cause of death was reserved pending chemical and histopathology reports.
Karachi Police Chief Javed Alam Odho said an inquiry had been ordered into the incident and that if negligence or foul play was proved, strict action would be taken against those involved. SSP SIU Amjad Shaikh confirmed that an internal inquiry was underway and seven policemen, including three ASIs, had been suspended in connection with the incident.
The case was being investigated under the supervision of the Investigation SSP, and further legal and departmental action would be taken once the final post-mortem findings were received, the Karachi police chief said.
Protest
The family of the deceased youth held a protest outside the Edhi morgue on Friday evening, which caused a severe traffic jam on Shah Waliullah Road. The family placed the body on the road, demanding registration of a case against officials of the SIU at the Gulberg police station.
According to police, the protest took place between 6:45pm and 7:35pm when the relatives of Irfan brought the body out of the Edhi cold storage and blocked the road. The protesters, numbering around 100 to 150 people, alleged that SIU personnel were responsible for Irfan’s death. Police said traffic movement was disrupted during the demonstration but was restored after successful negotiations with the protesters who returned the body to the Edhi morgue.