Taxila Police Custody Case: Three Officers Booked
A Taxila police custody case opened on Sunday after three police officers were booked over the death of a man at a check-post in Rawalpindi district. Police registered a case against an assistant sub-inspector and two constables of Taxila Police Station. The complainant is the younger brother of the man who died, Akmal Ali Khan.
The case was registered under Sections 302 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code. Tribune reported that the complaint accuses ASI Kashif and constables Sohail and Qadeer of torturing Akmal and deliberately killing him. Police officials said an investigation had been launched. The allegations in the complaint have not yet been tested in court, and the officers have not yet had their version reported in the Tribune account.
Taxila police custody case: what the complaint says
According to the complainant, Zahid Khan, his brother had gone to have his vehicle refuelled with compressed natural gas when police stopped him at Gangu check-post. Zahid said Akmal called Farrukh Amir Khan, a resident of Dargahi, and told him that Taxila police personnel had detained him at the check-post. Farrukh then told Zahid that Mukhtar Khan was also with him at the time.
The three men reached the check-post, where they allege they saw police personnel assaulting Akmal inside a room. The complaint says Akmal was lying on the floor and pleading with the officers to spare him. It says repeated appeals for his release were ignored. It further alleges that ASI Kashif instructed the two constables to beat Akmal, and that all three then punched and kicked him.
Zahid said the officers eventually let his injured brother go after the assault. The three men took Akmal to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Taxila, where a doctor examined him and declared him dead. The complainant also alleged that his vehicle documents were taken by the police, and he sought their return along with legal action and the strictest possible punishment for the accused.
Footage, protest and the reported trigger
Video footage from inside the check-post has also emerged, according to Tribune. The footage shows Akmal lying on a charpoy in a distressed and critical condition. It also shows police personnel filming visitors to the check-post, while a voice can be heard urging them to give the injured man water. Another voice appears to object, saying water should not be given to him and that responsibility should instead be placed on the police personnel.
Separately, reports suggest the incident stemmed from a minor dispute after a truck and Akmal’s vehicle came face to face on the road, blocking the passage. The dispute reportedly grew after Akmal’s vehicle was removed and the truck driver left the scene, leading to a confrontation between Akmal and the police personnel. That account of the trigger remains a report, not a finding, and the inquiry will need to establish the sequence of events.
The incident also triggered an angry protest, during which demonstrators allegedly subjected police personnel to severe violence. A police officer was injured and is receiving treatment at a hospital. Police authorities are conducting a high-level inquiry and have obtained CCTV footage from the surrounding area as part of the investigation.
Why this case matters for Rawalpindi readers
Who has been booked in the Taxila police custody case?
An assistant sub-inspector, ASI Kashif, and two constables, Sohail and Qadeer, of Taxila Police Station have been booked under Sections 302 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
What does the complainant allege?
Zahid Khan alleges his brother Akmal Ali Khan was detained at Gangu check-post, assaulted inside a room, and later declared dead at the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Taxila.
What footage has emerged?
Footage from inside the check-post shows Akmal lying on a charpoy in a critical condition, with a voice urging police to give him water and another voice appearing to object.
What inquiry is under way?
Police authorities are conducting a high-level inquiry and have obtained CCTV footage from the surrounding area. An investigation into the case has been launched.
Has any court decided the case?
No. The case has been registered and an inquiry is under way, but the allegations have not yet been tested in court.
