Torture ruled out in Shah Zeb death in custody

PESHAWAR: As the medical report on Wednesday revealed there were no internal wounds and strangulation was the main cause of death of grade-7 student Shah Zeb in police custody on March 14, another person was allegedly tortured by the cops during a raid in Faqirabad.

The medical report of Shah Zeb who committed suicide in the lock-up of the West Cantonment Police Station on March 14 stated that there were no internal wounds but the deceased had signs of injuries on the arm, head, ear, thigh and thumb.

Police officials said he had received wounds during scuffle with the shopkeepers before he was taken into custody.

The medical report added that there were no signs of anything toxic or poisonous in the blood of the deceased.

Shah Zeb, a young student from Warsak Road, committed suicide in the lock-up after police arrested him on the complaint of shopkeepers of the Saddar Bazaar.

The staff of the police station was suspended while the SHO and moharrir were arrested after the tragic incident.

The district and sessions judge Peshawar has deputed a judicial magistrate to conduct inquiry under Section 176 CrPC into the death of the student in custody of police and submit the report of the incident within two weeks.

It is being investigated as to why the deceased wasn’t kept in a separate observation room despite him being juvenile. The officials are also investigating the factors that led to the suicide of the teenager.

It is also being probed as to why there was no cop to stop the extreme step by someone in custody despite the fact that the lock-up was being monitored via CCTV.

The alleged suicide of Shah Zeb, the killing of another student Mobashir Ahmad by the cops in Faqirabad and now the torture on another citizen in the same area within few days has earned much criticism for the police force and many demanded real and solid reforms at the police station level.

Demands were also made for educating the cops about politely dealing with a common man during raids, snap checking and at police stations, respecting the public, taking care of their basic rights and ensuring their safety in police custody.

Meanwhile, the video of one Alam, a resident of Faqirabad, went viral on social media in which he was seen wounded allegedly due to police torture. The women of the family are seen crying for justice in the video footage.

A female lawmaker from Peshawar, Nighat Orakzai took up the issue, saying she has sent the video to Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and other concerned authorities to demand justice for the family.

“This has been happening for long. The people are being tortured in the lock-up and during raids. This must be stopped,” said Nighat Orakzai.

The PPP lawmaker said she has approached the human rights bodies and all the concerned forums against the police torture on innocent citizens.

There was no official word about the incident. However, an official, requesting anonymity, confirmed that a team of the Rural Division of the Peshawar Police headed by two officers conducted the raid as Alam was a suspect in a case. However, he claimed the wounds seen on his body in the video are old.