Police fired in self-defence: SSP

PESHAWAR: Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations, Dr Mian Saeed Ahmad has said that the police returned the fire only after the proclaimed offender opened fire on cops during the recent search operation, killing two of them.
Talking to reporters on Thursday, the deputy city police chief rejected the allegation that Aslam Niaz was killed when he was asleep. He added that during a search operation the cops challenged him when he was carrying AK-47 in the street but he ran away.
“When the cops chased him and entered his home he opened fire, killing two of the policemen. Police retaliated and the attacker was killed during the encounter,” said Saeed Ahmad.
The official added that when the wounded policemen were being taken to hospital, other villagers opened fire on the cops, killing another one and injuring seven others.
“The story of the SHO killing the Aslam for filing complaint against him to the IGP is totally baseless. The one who had filed complaint is Islam and he is from another area,” added SSP. The official continued that the SHO has been doing well in the area for the last many days and has improved the law and order.
“As far as the SHO raiding despite his suspension is concerned, his ordered reached to the office of the CCPO on Wednesday, the day when he conducted the raid and the encounter took place,” said Mian Saeed.
Some junior police officers have already started meetings to evolve strategy to protest the suspension and lodging FIR against the SHO who, they say, has been doing well. They have also expressed anger for not taking action against the villagers despite they killed three cops and injured seven others and later protested to press the government over further action against police.
On Wednesday, the MPA from the area Ishtiaq Urmar said that Aslam Niaz was killed when he was asleep. He added that some villagers believed that the SHO was probably mistaken that Aslam was the man who filed complaint against him but was wrongly mentioned as Islam in the official hand out issued by the office of IGP.
However, the SSP rejected the statement saying the cops opened fire on Aslam only when he shot two cops during the search operation after he was challenged for carrying Klashnikov.