SC asks former LHC judge to conduct probe

ISLAMABAD While taking strict action against the negligence of Police Department, the Supreme Court Friday directed a former judge of Lahore High Court Kazim Malik - who is presently working as Director General Anti-Corruption Department - to conduct inquiry into the incident, where two young brothers were beaten to death by an angry mob, and submit report within seven days. The Supreme Court took suo moto action on Thursday when the video footage of the incident was broadcast by two private TV channels and summoned DPO Sialkot in the apex court on Friday (today). A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday heard the case. The footage was also shown in the courtroom in which dozens of people beat two young brothers to death with batons in public in Sialkot in front of eight police officials and a big mass gathering. At least eight police officials kept watching the two young brothers being tortured to death blindly but anyone did nothing, video footages showed. Their dead bodies were hanged in upside-down position in the chowk but the reason of this inhumanity is not clear yet. DPO Sialkot Waqar Chauhan told the Court that they had dismissed the SHO Saddar Sialkot and had also arrested him, while other 12 police officers were still at large. He said the police were conducting raids in order to arrest them. The Court expressed dissatisfaction over it and said they should be arrested and sent behind the bars. The Court then summoned the Secretary Establishment Ismail Qureshi who, on a short notice, appeared before the Court and informed that before coming to the Court he talked to PPO Punjab on the issue. He said that the PPO had told him that a team had been constituted to investigate into the matter. The Chief Justice said that it was the duty of the DPO and SP Investigation to supervise the inquiry. He said that the murder of young brothers could not be tolerated in any manner. No one is allowed to take law in ones hands. The Court asked the police to continue investigations into the case without any prejudice and arrest the criminals and submit the report before this Court on daily basis. Later the Court adjourned the hearing till September 1.