KARACHI (HRNW): The Constitutional Bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC) has ordered a high-level inquiry into the alleged custodial killing of a young man, Hamdan, and two others during a police encounter in Shah Latif Town. The court expressed grave concerns over the security of individuals in police custody, remarking, “If people continue to be killed in custody like this, lives will be lost every day.”
During the hearing, DIG Special Branch and other senior officials appeared before the bench. The court directed the DIG Special Branch to complete a transparent inquiry into the incident within one month. Furthermore, the court explicitly ordered that the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) officials involved in the alleged encounter must not be given any active postings until the investigation is concluded.
Strict Directives to IG Sindh
The court issued several key directives to ensure the safety of suspects under legal supervision:
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Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): IG Sindh has been ordered to develop comprehensive SOPs for the security of suspects in high-profile cases during both police and judicial custody.
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Transparent Reporting: The inquiry must determine whether the deceased were actually killed by firing from their own accomplices, as claimed by the police, or if the encounter was staged.
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Family Access: Once completed, copies of the inquiry report must be provided to the bereaved families.
Background of the Case
Advocate Jibran Nasir, representing the petitioner, informed the court that Hamdan had been missing since December 29. After a missing person’s case was filed, the police eventually declared his arrest. On February 19, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) granted physical remand of Hamdan to the police. However, on February 17—while still in custody—Hamdan and two others were killed in what the lawyer termed a “fake encounter.”
The counsel argued that the police themselves admitted the suspects were handcuffed and in custody at the time of the alleged shootout. He further noted that the post-mortem report contradicts the police version of events and highlighted that, despite the Torture and Custodial Death Act, no departmental action or mandatory seven-day inquiry had been initiated prior to this court intervention.
The court disposed of the petition after issuing these directions for a formal probe.
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