Punjab police detain, torture PhD female scholar

LAHORE: An Additional District and Sessions Court has directed CCPO Lahore to hold an inquiry against the DSP, SHO Shahkot and other officials of Shahkot City Police Station, District Nankana Sahib for illegally detaining and allegedly torturing a female PhD scholar.

The court remarked in its judgment that Shahkot Police is operating in a completely different dimension of the universe or is relying on Einstein’s theory of relativity, and think time is relative. The court has given the said directions on a 22-A-22-B petition moved by one Bushra Tariq, a resident of Sabzazar Lahore.

Bushra Tariq moved the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Hafiz Rizwan Aziz for registration of a criminal case against DSP Shahkot Circle Atif Miraj, Taswer Munir SHO Shahkot and six other officials of the same police station including In-charge Investigation.

She contended that Shahkot Police officials accompanied by Elite Force barged into her house on May 17, 2021 at 3am while she and other family members were asleep. The petitioner said that police officials forcefully entered into their house by breaking doors and abducted her daughter Maleeha Tariq who is a PhD scholar at Punjab University and son Behroz Tariq. The petitioner alleged that police also took six mobile phones of the family members, original educational certificates, a laptop and 4 tolas of gold. Petitioner further stated that on May 18, Shahkot Police station released her son Behroz Tariq and told him to arrange Rs. 1.5 million for release of her sister Maleeha Tariq. Through Behroz, they came to know that it was Shahkot Police Station which raided their house illegally, keeping her daughter in illegal detention, petitioner said.

After which, she moved the Lahore High Court with a habeas corpus petition, petitioner added. She informed the Sessions Court that the LHC deputed a bailiff and got recovered her daughter from the illegal detention. She alleged that in police custody her daughter was tortured by male police officials and submitted medical reports of her daughter in the court.

After recovery of her daughter, THE petitioner moved Nawankot Police station for registration of a case against DSP, SHO Shahkot and others but the Nawankot Police refused to do so, petitioner said. She implored the court to register a criminal case against the said police officials. The court after receiving the petitioner summoned SHO Shahkot Taswer Munir and Investigation Officer Sub Inspector Mehmmod Ahmad.

Statement of said officials took court with a surprise as mentioned in the judgment. They took a stance that Maleeha Tariq was arrested on May 19 at 8:30 pm in pursuance of supplementary statement of the complainant in case no 225/21 registered at Police Station City Shahkot, District Nankana Sahib. The SHO and Investigation Officer said before the court that the Bailiff of the Lahore High Court reached at the police station at 9:15 pm and due to short span of the time the arrest of petitioner’s daughter could not be incorporated in Roznamcha (Daily Diary). The court in its order stated that “the stance taken by the SHO and Investigation Officer of Shahkot Police station is not only unbelievable but also irrational”.

The court order stated that it is an admitted fact according to the LHC Bailiff report that petitioner’s daughter was recovered from Shahkot Police station at 9:15 pm on May 19. However, proposed accused police officials admitted on record that they arrested petitioner’s daughter on the same date just 45 minutes earlier at 8:30 pm. If the police’s stance was accepted, it would mean that the police arrested the woman (Maleeh Tariq) in Shahkot at the given time, the following set of the events happened in only 45 minutes and that too at night, the court stated.