Illegal detention: LHC orders action against cops

LAHORE:The Lahore High Court has directed Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) to lodge a criminal case against police officials for illegally detaining a citizen for 17 days and willfully obstructing the functioning of LHC.

The court further asked the IGP to ensure legal as well as departmental action against the delinquent police officials. Amjad Ali has approached the LHC for the recovery of his brother Muhammad Arsalan from illegal detention of Bagh police post of Saddar police station. Justice Ch Mushtaq Ahmed took up the habeas corpus petition and appointed a bailiff for the recovery of alleged detainee.

Bailiff reported that the alleged detainee was found confined in police post Bagh on February 06, but his arrest was recorded in daily diary police register at police station Saddar, Sheikhupura. He was also not produced before any court of law, he further reported. The court observed that it is astonishing that the bailiff took the daily diary register of police post Bagh into possession but Moharrar Muhammad Afzal snatched the register from him and locked the same in a box. Afzal also forcibly took custody of the detainee from bailiff while wireless operator Hamza and a constable helped him in creating ugly episode.

“Such act of Moharrar Afzal indicates his willful defiance and obstruction in performance of functions of this court as bailiff was representing this court. If such is behaviour of an official towards bailiff/representative of High Court, what sort of treatment can be expected from him for public at large, the officials involved in such behaviour are not worthy of government job/ duty, the court wrote in the order.

The court said the bailiff’s report suggested that implication of alleged detainee in a theft case was highly doubtful as he was arrested earlier but his arrest was recorded in daily diary register on Feb 2.

The court granted protective bail to the detainee till Feb 14, allowing him to approach court concerned to seek pre-arrest bail. The court observed that Afzal in the presence of bailiff made a phone call at Saddar police station, perhaps, asking someone to record arrest of detainee in police record. The court disposed of the petition and directed IGP to hold an inquiry into recording arrest of detainee in police record after arrival of bailiff and initiate legal and departmental action against the officials responsible for it.