Inside Story of Bahawalnagar incident of Police Army Clash
Videos are viral on social media in which Army personnel can be seen beating punjab police.
The alleged fight between Pakistani army personnel and local police in Bahawalnagar district of Punjab province of Pakistan has become a topic of discussion on social media. Both institutions have started investigations to find out the facts.
Separate cases have also been registered by the police against the police personnel involved in the incident and the family of an army official.
According to local journalist Tariq Hafeez of Bahawalnagar, the conflict started on April 8 when SHO Rizwan Abbas of Madrasah Police Station raided the house of an army official Muhammad Khalil and beat up his family.
Tariq Hafeez claimed that this raid was carried out on the behalf of Muhammad Khalil’s opponents, and it was resisted by the local people.
According to him, there is also an allegation on the policemen that they took valuables and cash from the house of the military official during the raid, on which the local people and the men of the house took away the weapons from the policemen.
According to him, after that a case was registered by the police against the military official and his family for interfering in the work of the government.
According to the lawsuit, the police were on routine patrol when they saw some suspicious persons, after whom they took shelter at the house of a person named Muhammad Khalil.
Police raided Mohammad Khalil’s house and recovered weapons from the suspect. But the alleged suspect could not produce any arms license. Meanwhile, the family members of Mohammad Khalil took the police officers hostage.
In the registered case, it is said that the police ASI Muhammad Naeem, who was present at the spot, informed the SHO of Madrasa police station, Rizwan Abbas, on which Rizwan Abbas, along with ASI Muhammad Naeem and other officials raided the house of Muhammad Anwar Jutt in Chak Sarkari to arrest Rafaqat.
The family members resisted with the help of other residents took the SHO and police officers hostage in the room and made videos of SHO Rizwan Abbas.
Later, Rizwan Abbas called for more police force, including elite force personnel, via wireless. The elite force freed SHO Rizwan Abbas and other policemen and arrested the people present in the house by torturing them.
Police officials arrested Mohammad Anwar Jutt, his son Army employee Mohammad Khalil, another son anti-narcotics employee Mohammad Idris and others and registered a case against 23 people.
According to Tariq Hafeez, after the said operation, the military employee Muhammad Khalil informed his organization about all the details of the incident, on which the officers dressed in plain clothes allegedly stormed the madrasa police station and then the city police station and beat up the policemen. The videos of which is also circulating on social media.
After coming to the notice of higher police officials, the police lodged an FIR against the raiders SHO Rizwan Abbas, ASI Muhammad Naeem and others and took them into custody and departmental action has also been initiated.
The FIR has been registered by newly appointed SHO Saifullah Hanif. The FIR has been registered under the provisions of dereliction of duty and illegal detention.
According to Bahawalnagar Police Spokesman Zahid Rasool, the DPO suspended the SHO and other officials involved in the incident and ordered to initiate departmental action.
Zahid Rasool says that the incident is being investigated and action will be taken against the people involved in it according to the law. According to him, the authorities of both sides have resolved the issue.
According to Tariq Hafeez, the police and military authorities have made peace between the police and military personnel.
In the videos circulating on social media, some policemen are talking about the alleged violence on them. According to one of the officers who were the victims of alleged torture, some people wearing plain clothes and covering their faces stormed his police station and tortured other policemen including him.
In videos available on social media, RPO Bahawalpur Rai Babar and a brigadier rank officer dressed in military uniform can be seen shouting slogans. In the video, military personnel and police officers are hugging and congratulating each other.
Impression of confrontation between Pak army and the Punjab police
According to the spokesperson of Punjab Police, these videos are being misrepresented to give the impression that there might be a confrontation between the police and the army.
In a statement issued by the Punjab Police spokesperson, it has been said that a joint investigation was conducted after the review of these videos by the two forces.
The statement said that after reviewing the facts, the matter has been resolved amicably. The Punjab Police statement further said that the police and the army are fighting the terrorists together. Therefore, social media users are requested not to be a part of any false propaganda.
PTI demands investigation of Bahawalnagar Incident
In the statement issued by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, a full investigation of the incident has been demanded. In the statement issued by the PTI spokesperson, it has been said that instead of covering up the issue, it is important to bring the facts to light.
The statement said that the Bahawalnagar incident is the worst sign of the prevailing lawlessness in the Pakistan and the deep-rooted corruption in the government and state ranks.
According to the statement, during the last two years lawlessness has been promoted by burying the constitution and law at the state level and a certain group has been given the status of being beyond the law.
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