Staff Reporter
LAHORE: A lower court has ordered a criminal case against Home Minister Rana Sanaullah, for allegedly commissioning riot police brutalities against s group of lawyers during PTI’s Azadi March, IP reported on Wednesday.
The judge
The orders were signed off by Mudassar Umar Bodla, Additional District and Sessions Judge in Lahore.
The judge ordered the Station House Officer (SHO) of Bhaati Gate Police Station to register an FIR against Sanaullah and others under Section 154 (information in cognisable cases) of the Code of Criminal Procedure and process the matter “in accordance with the law”.
“A case should also be registered against Lahore CCPO, SSP, DIG, and SP,” the court said.
The petitioner
Advocate Haider Majeed, the petitioner, was quoted as saying he was forced to move the court after Punjab Police refused to listen to the aggrieved party.
Accusations
Sanaullah is accused of ordering the alleged torture of lawyers in the provincial capital on May 25, the day PTI launched its Azadi March towards Islamabad.
Barrister Hassan Niazi and other lawyers are representing the petitioner.
During the hearing a video of the incident in question was also played in the courtroom.
The petitioner also sought criminal cases lodged against SP Esa Sukheri (North Cantt Lahore), SP Waqar Azeem Kharal, DSP Akber Ali, SHO Asad Abbas and others.
The court order
The court order stated that the petitioner and his colleagues were boarding their vehicle when they were pulled over by the police and subjected to worst torture imaginable.
The order added that the petitioners were “baton-charged, humiliated, disgraced and their vehicle was damaged badly” despite cooperating with the law enforcers.
The court subsequently asked the petitioner to approach the relevant SHO with a copy of the court order to start the proceedings for filing a criminal case against the accused.
The long riots
Police swooped on PTI protesters on their way to the long march on May 25. The city became a riot central with cops seen breaking their batons on the unarmed and defenceless political activists. The cops raided party workers houses and tortures men and women without any remorse.
The police indiscriminately shot teargas shells at the protesters.
Imran Khan roars
Condemnations started pouring in from all sides of society as the videos of PTI’s long marchers being subjected to excessive force went viral on the social media. A day before the march, over 1,000 PTI activists were picked up by the police.
PTI chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan on Sunday, May 29, tweeted: “Condemnable & unacceptable. Flouting the Constitution & SC orders, this criminal Imported govt unleashed police brutality on our peaceful Azadi March protestors. Night before our March, Punjab & Sindh police violated PTI members homes harassing the families.
The PTI would move high courts to bring the responsible to the dock, Khan had said.
“Flouting the Constitution and Supreme Court orders, this criminal imported government unleashed police brutality on our peaceful Azadi March protesters.”
PTI in Supreme Court
On Wednesday the PTI prayed to Supreme Court of Pakistan to provide protection against such tactics down the road.
The PTI in its plea requested the apex court to order the government to refrain from violent measures against the peaceful marchers in future and also stop the top cops of the province to not abuse power like they did on May 29.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
