Woman allegedly beaten to death by police

An old woman, identified as 45-year-old Sograan, was allegedly beaten to death by the Khwaja Ajmir Nagri Investigation Police, the victim’s relatives claimed. The incident was reported in the Peerabad police limits. The victim’s relatives said that she was severely beaten up by the police and during a raid at her house. Other women present there were also abused. The victim’s relatives staged a protest on Saturday outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC). They brought Sograan’s body along as well.

Her family members and her husband, Mohammed Akber, said that they were the resident of New Mianwali Colony, Peerabad. On Friday night, while they were asleep, 15 to 17 armed policemen (in uniform and civvies), including Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Ashraf Ali, forcibly entered their house and asked for their sons, Faluk Sher and Bagh Ali.

When they asked the reason for their arrest the police said that they were involved in armed robbery cases and were being taken into custody for interrogation. Sograan resisted and was hit twice on her head with the butts of the policemen’s rifles. She fell to the floor, and the police fled.

Sograan was shifted to a hospital and where she succumbed to her injuries. Her family members said that the victim had five children, including two daughters. They further said that Bagh Ali was a TB patient.

The police said that both the accused brothers were wanted by for armed robbery in Buffer Zone. The police maintained that they had not hit Sograan, while doctors have reserved the report regarding the cause of death.

Pasban Karachi President, Syed Ashraf Hussain, said the Khwaja Ajmer Nagri police were trying to save the accused cops and it had given the incident “another colour” in the FIR by putting irrelevant sections in it.

The aggrieved family demanded that PPO Sindh Dr Shoaib Suddle and the CCPO Karachi take notice of the incident and conduct an inquiry.
Source: The News
Date:6/1/2008