Gujar khan - The judicial magistrate in Gujar Khan has issued an order to exhume the body of a suspected robber on Saturday, who had allegedly died as a result of ‘severe torture’ in the custody of Gujar Khan police on Wednesday morning. Surprisingly, the body was buried in Janda Cheechi graveyard in Rawalpindi without undergoing an autopsy on Thursday, after sisters of the deceased stated to Gujar Khan police that Zeeshan Siddique had died a ‘natural death’.
After the issue got highlighted on social media, Station House Officer (SHO) Gujar Khan, Kashif Iqbal Malik, himself became complainant against eight suspended officials of Civil Lines Police Station and Qazian police post and registered a case under several sections of law including murder charges on Thursday night.
According to details, Zeeshan Siddique, who was wanted in a robbery case by Gujar Khan police, was taken to the Qazian Police Post of Gujar Khan on Wednesday morning after he was apprehended by Civil Lines Police on Tuesday night. The deceased was a permanent resident of Chappar village of Gujar Khan tehsil and had been residing in Janda Cheechi area of Rawalpindi. He is survived by his four young children, as his wife had already passed away. According to the details, the suspect was said to have encountered breathing difficulties while in the custody of Qazian Police Post, and was pronounced dead after being transferred to a private hospital in Bewal town. The body was later transported to THQ Hospital in Gujar Khan by Qazian police party, who allegedly attempted to leave quickly after handing over the body to the hospital staff.
Following the emergence of the issue, SP Saddar and Potohar Division promptly arrived at the DSP office in Gujar Khan on Wednesday afternoon and collaborated with the local police to collectively address the situation. Meanwhile, upset family members of the deceased arrived at Gujar Khan police station in the evening and tried to block Grand Trunk Road. However, the police managed to prevent them from doing so. During their conversation with journalists, the sisters of the deceased revealed that the police were pressuring them to accept a compensation of Rs. 0.7 million and to take the body away after signing a reconciliation agreement.
In the FIR filed by SHO Malik Kashif, he mentioned that the family of the deceased was requested to file an application for legal action. However, according to the written statements of Zeeshan’s sisters, they stated that he had been suffering from cardiac and respiratory diseases for a significant period of time, and his death was ‘natural’. According to the FIR, the SHO mentioned that the family agreed to forgo the post mortem examination of the deceased, and the body was handed over to them on Wednesday night for funeral rites. The charges include sections 302, 147, 149 PPC, and 155-C while the booked police officials include SI Muhammad Ishaq, ASI Liaqat Ali, ASI Saqib Sheraz, ASI Sajid Saqlain, ASI Babar Ali, Hasnain Hassan constable, Abid Ali constable, and Abdullah constable. The SHO of Civil Lines Police Station, Sikander Nawaz Joiya, has been issued a charge sheet and sent to police lines by City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi, Syed Khalid Hamdani.
At Thursday afternoon, Judicial Magistrate Syed Faizan-e-Rasool in Gujar Khan had instructed the SHO to find the burial site of the deceased in Rawalpindi by 8:00 am on Friday and report back to the court. Meanwhile, he had also instructed the medical superintendent of DHQ Hospital Rawalpindi to form a medical team to exhume the body on Saturday. Additionally, he had directed the SHO Malik to produce SP Saddar Mr. Nabeel Khokhar, SP Potohar Mr. Nasir Nawaz, SDPO Gujar Khan Mr. Saleem Khattak, Incharge of Qazian Police Post ASI Saqib Sheeraz, ASI Sajid Saqlian, Medical Officer in THQ Gujar Khan Mr. Shafqat Noor, and Zeeshan Siddique’s family along with roznamcha and FIR register of Qazian and Gujar Khan police before his court on July 22.
As per insiders, on Friday, the judicial magistrate has obtained station leave from the district and session judge to oversee the exhumation of Zeeshan’s grave in Rawalpindi at 11 am on Saturday (today). The magistrate has also instructed the Tehsil Municipal Officer (TMO) Rawalpindi and the police to make the required preparations at the cemetery.
As per information from the police sources, it has been reported that none of the eight police officials who were booked in the case have been arrested by the Gujar Khan police. Instead, they have been closed to the police lines in Rawalpindi. The sources added that three other male relatives of Zeeshan were still in the custody of Qazian Police for interrogation in a robbery case.
