Four policemen held after MQM worker’s custodial death

KARACHI: Four policemen were arrested and two senior police officers suspended after a Muttahida Qaumi Movement worker died in the custody of the Aziz Bhatti police, officials said on Wednesday.

“Four policemen of the Aziz Bhatti police station have been arrested as a post-mortem examination of the body conducted at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre showed that Mohammed Wasim died from head injuries caused by a hard and blunt object,” said Karachi-East SSP Pir Mohammed Shah.

There were different opinions about circumstances that led to the MQM worker’s detention and the place of his arrest.

The police said Wasim was taken into custody in Dalmia on Tuesday, while the MQM and relatives of the party activist said he along with his two brothers had been taken away two days ago from their shop in Baldia.

The SSP said the Aziz Bhatti police detained Wasim in Dalmia after an illegal weapon was found in his possession. The case was registered against him under Section 23 (1-A) of the Sindh Arms Act, 2013.

Gulshan SP Abid Qaimkhani said the police picked up Wasim along with his brothers, Mohammed Adil and Naeem, in Street 15 of Dalmia after an “illegal” 9mm pistol was found in Wasim’s possession. Adil and Naeem were later released as nothing objectionable was found in their possession, the officer said. The police later registered an FIR (273/2015) against Wasim on the charge of keeping an illicit weapon.

Late Tuesday night, his health condition deteriorated in the police custody and he was taken to the JPMC where doctors declared him dead on arrival, said the SP. Dr Seemin Jamali, head of the emergency department, said the Aziz Bhatti police had brought Wasim dead to the JPMC on Wednesday at 2:30am. Since it was a custodial death case, a post-mortem examination of the body was conducted by MLO Dr Aijaz Ahmed in the presence of the judicial magistrate concerned, she added.

Quoting the autopsy report, a hospital source said that Wasim succumbed to injuries caused by some hard and blunt object. Blood was oozing from his left ear, while there were ‘multiple bruises’ on his back, chest, feet and hands, the source said, adding that there were signs of swelling.

According to the source, the autopsy report stated that he might have died at 9pm on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, relatives and MQM workers protesting outside the JPMC mortuary hurled stones at passing vehicles and placed hurdles on the road, causing suspension of traffic for some time.

The relatives told the media that Wasim along with his two brothers had been picked up from his shop in Baldia-3 two days ago. They said they came to know about his death through the media.

“The police killed him,” they said, demanding that those involved in the murder be hanged.

The MQM coordination committee stated that Wasim Dehlvi was a worker of the MQM’s Baldia Town Unit-117. The party said Wasim along with his brothers, Naeem Dehlvi and Adil Dehlvi, were taken away two days ago from their shop in Baldia Town by plain-clothes policemen. A contact was made at the highest level of the police but no one informed them as to where they had been kept.

“During his two-day custody, Wasim was subjected to torture, which led to his death,” said the party, adding that the post-mortem report confirmed that Wasim died from third degree torture.

Taking notice of the incident, the chief minister and the home minister ordered the inspector-general of police to initiate an inquiry into it immediately, said a police spokesperson.

The IG police appointed the DIG-West inquiry officer, he added.According to Gulshan SP Qaimkhani, a case was registered on behalf of the state against the four policemen under Sections 302 (premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The policemen nominated in the FIR are Chaudhry Zafar, Mohammed Maqsood, Noman Javed and Zamir Hussain.

Bahadurabad DSP Mohammed Khalid Khan has been appointed investigation officer of the case, the Gulshan SP said.

Published in: Dawn

Category: Custodial killing