SHO, 15 other cops booked for ‘terrorism’ over Jauhar assault

A case has been registered against the SHO of the Gulistan-e-Jauhar police station and more than 15 other police officials on charges of terrorism and attempted murder.

The Jauhar police registered the case late on Tuesday night on the complaint of Advocate Qadir Bakhsh Rajpar against now-former SHO Inspector Raja Tanveer, and over 15 other police officials on charges of attempted murder, terrorism and other offences.

Prior to the registration of the case, Inspector Tanveer was suspended from his position and demoted by a rank on the orders of senior police officials. On Tuesday a fight broke out at the Gulistan-e-Jauhar police station between police officials and lawyers after senior lawyer Advocate Rajpar and his client arrived at the police station with a court order for the release of a vehicle.

The SHO and other cops allegedly misbehaved with the two instead of complying with the court order. However, the police said the situation took a turn for the worse when an unidentified man in plain clothes entered a room of the police station and demanded the immediate release of the vehicle.

Police said that when they explained to the person in plain clothes about not having the authority to release a vehicle, the person started using abusive language. Officials said that after some time lawyers in large numbers attacked the gate of the police station.

Karachi Bar Association President Amir Nawaz Waraich had also reached the police station with a score of lawyers to hold a protest, claiming that the lawyers had sought the release of a vehicle in accordance with court orders but the police beat the lawyers. He demanded the suspension and demotion of the SHO and other cops, and the registration of a case against them. Following the protest, the SHO was suspended and demoted.

The protesting lawyers claimed that the SHO had prohibited the investigating officer from releasing the vehicle, and that a lawyer was locked up and tortured. They claimed that the SHO had misbehaved with the lawyers, and a case with the provisions of terrorism, attempted murder and torture has been filed against him, and they said they would keep on protesting until they got a copy of the FIR.