Judge still to get inquiry report on Mangat clash

MULTAN: The Punjab law department deliberately did not submit the report of a judicial inquiry compiled by District and Session Judge Muhammad Ashraf Bhatti, chairman of the inquiry tribunal, to the Punjab governor to save police officials.

The report revealed that Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Makhdoom Rashid, Inspector Nasrullah, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Zia Akhtar and a former member of the Punjab Assembly (MPA) Mazhar Abbas Ran were responsible for a clash between people and the police in Makhdoom Rashid and Mangat Village on February 17 and 18, 2002 after ASI Akhtar trespassed into a home without search warrants causing a backlash from the area residents. The situation became more volatile after DSP Rashid called in an additional police force from Khanewal and Multan.

The report also accused former MPA Mazhar Ran for not trying to avoid the police-public clash. The tribunal report stated that the locals hated the police and suggested that the administration should organise seminars to narrow the gulf between police and the public. It also suggested that police officials should be trained on scientific lines and taught to be humble to people. It added that the police should not raid any house without search warrants and policewomen. The police registered a case against the people because the law department knowingly filed the inquiry report to save the police officials guilty of the incident. —Staff Report

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