New Town SHO suspended for illegally arresting cameraman

The acting SHO of the New Town police station was suspended for arresting a cameraman of a local Sindhi news channel during the lockdown.

Acting SHO Ghulam Akbar had arrested the cameraman on the first day of the lockdown despite showing his CNIC and the office card. The journalists have been exempted by the Sindh government from the lockdown restrictions, and they have been asked to keep their CNICs and office cards with them while travelling, but despite this, multiple incidents of misbehaving and manhandling of media workers by law enforcement agencies were reported in parts of the city even on the second consecutive day of the lockdown.

Deputy Inspector General of Police East Zone Nouman Siddiqui, while taking notice of the illegal arrest of the cameraman, suspended the acting SHO of the New Town police station and appointed Senior Sub Inspector Muhammad Zubair in his place.

The Crime Reporters Association of Pakistan (CRA) also condemned the manhandling of the media workers by policemen. In a press statement issued on Tuesday, the CRA condemned the arrest and the manhandling by law enforcers of journalists in various parts of the city.

In the statement, the CRA claimed that media workers are being beaten by law enforcers during the lockdown even after journalists showed their CNICs and office cards while travelling for media coverage. The CRA demanded of the DG Rangers and the IGP Sindh to take action over such incidents.