LAHORE - Three policemen were arrested for brutally torturing an eight-year-old boy in custody in Lahore’s Chuhng police station. The police also registered a criminal case against officials after the latest video of police torture on the child went viral on the social media. Many citizens reacted angrily after watching the horrific video on social media and demanded the government to punish the police. 

The case was lodged against police on the complaint of a widow. According to the woman, the police arrested her son in a mobile phone theft case. The boy was kept in the police lockup where he was badly tortured. The resident of Green Town was kept in the lockup of Shair Shah Police Chowki where he was mercilessly tortured.

According to the victim, he was hanged upside down and repeatedly tortured by police. The boy received serious burns on his buttocks because policemen placed hot iron on the back of the child.  Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar took notice of the incident and sought a report from the city police chief after local media made hue and cry over police brutalities.  An official of the Lahore police on Wednesday claimed that policemen including ASI Ahmad, and Constables Asad Lateef and Faisal Ashraf, were arrested for assaulting the child in custody and sent to the lockup. He said that the police also registered a criminal case against policemen on the complaint of mother of the child. Further investigation was underway.

3,000 arrested in Punjab wide crackdown on kite flying

More than 3,000 people have been arrested during the ongoing crackdown against kite flying in Punjab, officials said.  A provincial police officer claimed that the police registered at least 3,038 cases against the violators under the Punjab Kite Flying Act. Punjab Additional-IG (Operations) Inam Ghani further said that at least 3,447 individuals were found involved in manufacturing and selling of metallic string. At least 3,435 individuals have been arrested by police during the crackdown launched across the province six weeks ago, the top police said.

Most of the arrests were made in Faisalabad, Lahore, and Gujranwala district. Police stepped up raids after people defied the crackdown and celebrated the Basant festival in Faisalabad and Gujranwala during the last couple of weeks.

Punjab Additional-IG (Operations) Inam Ghani revealed these statistics while addressing a meeting at the central police office on Wednesday. The meeting was held under the chair of Punjab IGP Amjad Javed Saleemi to review the progress on police crackdown against kite flying.

On this occasion, the IGP was also informed that at least 182,332 kites and 7,104 string rolls were seized by police during the province-wide crackdown. A massive crackdown was launched in Faisalabad district and at least 1,656 cases were registered against the violators. The police seized 66, 369 kites, and 3,354 string rolls, besides 9340-kg chemical powder and bundles of kite-making paper.

While addressing officers, IGP Amjad Javed said that Punjab Police are working day and night to protect lives and properties of the public. The IGP said the crackdown was launched on the direction of government of the Punjab and it would continue all over the province to nap the culprits.