SHC issues notices to AG, FIA on plea for constitution of JIT

The Sindh High Court on Monday issued notices to the advocate general and inspector general of police of the province on a petition seeking the constitution of a joint investigation team (JIT) and the inclusion of the anti-terrorism law’s section in the murder case of 16-year-old boy Rehan, who was brutally killed by a mob in the Bahadurabad area last week.

Mohammad Zaheer, father of Rehan, submitted that police were not investigating the case properly, and this could benefit the accused persons in the case. The petitioner’s counsel submitted that Rehan was brutally tortured by the mob and residents of Kokan Housing Society in the Bahadurabad area after accusing him of theft.

The counsel said that Rehan was kidnapped and made hostage by Zubair, Daniyal and their friends. He was then tied up and filmed while being tortured.

The petitioner’s counsel, Irfan Aziz, stated that Bahadurabad police malafidely with connivance of the accused persons registered a case under Section 316 of the Pakistan Penal Code, whereas the accused persons had abducted the boy with the intention to kill and then tortured him to death.

He added that the accused uploaded the video of the torture on social media and the offence also came within the ambit of cyber crime laws.

He submitted that the constitution of a joint investigation team was required to be constituted to bring the truth to the surface and to uncover the brutal act that the accused persons performed in their torture cell and terrorised the public at large.

The court was requested to constitute a joint investigation team to probe the murder and to order the inclusion of the anti-terrorism act’s section, as the brutal act created a sense of terrorism in the society.

The court, after the preliminary hearing of the petition, issued notices to the advocate general, the inspector general of police, the director general of the FIA and others and called their comments on August 28.

A video circulating on social media last week showed Rehan unable to move, with his hands tied to a metallic grill and his pants forcibly taken off, as the owners and others questioned him. The boy could be heard naming his alleged accomplices in the video, which was recorded by the owner and area residents. Pictures of the minor boy’s dead body showed visible signs of torture. Rehan’s father earlier told journalists that his son worked as a butcher during Eid-ul-Azha. He said Rehan told him he was going to collect money for his work but never returned home.