SHC orders inquiry into ‘extrajudicial killing’ by Rangers

The Sindh High Court on Monday ordered a judicial inquiry into the alleged extrajudicial killing of a private businessman by the Sindh Rangers in the last week of February this year.

The petitioner, Talat Afshan, has submitted that Rangers personnel had picked up her two sons, Ijtaba Feroz and Isbah Feroz, on June 6, 2015, from the city’s Gulzar-e-Hijri area. She submitted that her sons – one a government employee and the other a private businessman – had been detained for no reason as “they had nothing to do with any criminal activities”.

The petitioner’s counsel, Mohammad Amir Khan, submitted that after 20 months of illegal detention, one of the two brothers, Ijtaba, was killed by Rangers in a fake encounter in Shah Latifd Town in the last week of February. His body was then handed over to the family for burial. The counsel submitted that cases were registered with the police against the brothers’ kidnapping but no final report was ever submitted before the trial court.

He submitted that Ijtaba was killed along with eight others by the Rangers in a fake encounter in Shah Latif Town. The counsel added that the Rangers had earlier denied arrest or detention of the petitioner’s son but later showed him as being killed in an encounter.

He requested the court to constitute a judicial commission to conduct an inquiry into Ijtaba’s extrajudicial killing and also all other people killed by the police or Rangers in alleged encounters since 2015 in Karachi.

The counsel submitted that he would be satisfied if a high-level judicial commission with an official no less in rank than DIG be constituted to probe and investigate the death of Ijtaba. The SHC division bench headed by Mohammad Shafi Siddiqui ordered that an inquiry be conducted into Ijtaba’s extrajudicial killing under an officer no less in rank than DIG. The officer, the court said, shall submit his report within three months and stated that the official shall investigate any person as required for the purpose of inquiry.

  Ex-SSP son’s released 

The SHC disposed of a petition filed against SSP Malir Rao Anwar and others against illegal detention of former SSP Niaz Khoso’s son, as the detainee was released on April 15.

Petitioner Niaz Khoso submitted that his son Mehrab Khan Khoso, a sub-inspector with the anti-encroachment force, was illegally confined by police officials near Bahria Town on March 28 when he was coming back from Sukkur.

He alleged that his son was confined by SSP Malir Rao Anwar as Mehrab and other anti-encroachment staff went to the Sachal area to reclaim government land. The court was informed by the petitioner’s counsel that the detainee had been released and did not press the petition which was subsequently disposed of.

Detention cases

The court also directed the federal and provincial law officers, DG Rangers and others to file comments on petitions against alleged illegal detention of citizens by personnel of law enforcement agencies.

The petitioners – Mubeen Siddiqui, Jehanzaib, Shahnaz, Jannat Bibi and Shaista – have submitted that police and other law enforcers picked up Farhan Siddiqui, Ali Akbar, Ibrahim, Ghulam Omer, Mashooq, Mohammad Imran and Asif Zaman from Nazimabad, Maymar, Gulistan-e-Jauhar and North Nazimabad areas and their whereabouts remain unknown.

They submitted that the police was neither disclosing their whereabouts, nor providing details of cases against them. The petitioners sought their immediate production before the court and details of cases, if any, against them.