11 murdered, 24 killed in accidents in eight days

LAHORE:The City has become more and more unsafe for the citizens as at least 204 deaths were reported here from January 1 to February 8, 2020.

Around 62 people reportedly lost their lives from Feb 1 to Feb 8 and reportedly 142 from Jan 1 to Jan 31, 2020, in the provincial metropolis.

As per reported crimes, at least 11 persons were murdered on various issues, including one in an incident of robbery-cum-murder, and 24 people were killed in road accidents from Feb 1 to Feb 8.

During the same period, three people were injured by robbers on resistance and two were kidnapped and one of them was later murdered. Four unidentified persons were found dead in various parts of the City. One suicide and three cases of suicide attempt were reported. A jail inmate of Camp Jail died of medical complications. Four people were injured in a roof collapse incident and a labourer was buried alive under debris. A man was run over and killed by a train and a man was burnt alive in his hut. From Feb 1 to Feb 8, the Lahore police also staged an alleged encounter in the Batapur area and killed an under-custody “robber” by fabricating a decades-old story that unidentified persons intercepted the police personnel carrier carrying the robber and opened firing, resulting in the death of their own accomplice. Ironically, police let the attackers go and returned with the body of the robber and an injured constable. No assailant was arrested on the spot. The management and performance of the City Traffic Police Lahore can be determined by the deaths of at least 41 people, including women and children, in road accidents during the last 39 days. Around 24 people lost their lives in road accidents from Feb 1 to Feb 8 and 17 in the month of January.

At least 6,233 accidents were reported in the provincial metropolis from Jan 1 to Jan 31, in which 17 people lost their lives. Around 7,800 accidents were reported during the first eight days of Feb in which at least 24 people died.

Meanwhile, Lahore police could not chalk out a comprehensive strategy to bridle the robbers and thieves. The citizens witnessed at least five to six robberies cum murders and loss of valuables including cash and gold ornaments in every nook and cranny of the provincial metropolis during the last 39 days.

Police have also failed to take the law-abiding citizens into confidence and develop a friendly environment to bridge the gap between them, though there is no shred of doubt that three honest officers, Dr Inam Waheed, Zulfiqar Hameed and Babar Saeed, have simultaneously been posted for the first time in Lahore police history as DIG Investigation Lahore, CCPO Lahore and DIG Operations Lahore, respectively.

Many citizens still avoid visiting police stations to report the incidents as they find no change in the behaviour of the police officers and their subordinates. Subsequently, dozens of crimes are not reported by the victims themselves to avoid abominable behaviour, irrelevant queries and unwarranted fatigue at the hands of the custodians of law. Emotional distress and fear of repercussions of being in contact with the perpetrator are not the only reasons behind this; the attitudes and motives of certain police officers have made it hard for people to believe in the system. Some important incidents which took place from Feb 1 to Feb 8 are as follows: On Feb 1, a 25-year-old man, Mudassar, was shot dead at Green Town. A 25-year-old Babar attempted to end his life by setting himself ablaze at Iqbal Town. On Feb 2, a man, Hamdan Khan, who was kidnapped in the Sherakot area, was found dead in the limits of Gulshan Ravi on Feb 5. On Feb 3, a man, Tariq, was shot dead in the Bhatti Gate area. A man, Dad Khan, was shot dead at Green Town. A 35-year-old man, Sajjad, was gunned down in the Ghaziabad area.

On Feb 4, an officer of an electric company, Syed Tanveer Mohsin, committed suicide. A 30-year-old woman, Farida, was shot dead in the Sanda area. On Feb 5, an 18-year-old youth was shot dead in the Mughalpura area. On Feb 6, two people, Babar and Abdul Razzaq, were shot dead at Harbanspura. On Feb 7, a 22-year-old youth, Irfan, was shot dead in the limits of Raiwind City. A 15-year-old labourer, Zohaib, was buried alive under debris at Nishtar Colony. A 45-year-old man was tortured to death at Shahdara Town. An under-custody alleged robber Amir Hussain was killed by police in an alleged encounter. He along with his accomplice had allegedly murdered a trader, Mubashar, in Akbari Gate. On Feb 8, a 16-year-old youth was killed by robbers in the Subzazar area. A 30-year-old man was burnt alive in his hut in the Gujjarpura area.