Islamabad - A suspect, arrested by Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Islamabad in connection with firing on a police patrolling party at Container Chowk in Golra, was found dead in the lockup here on Saturday.
The deceased has been identified as Hassan son of Sheerin Zada, resident of Zia Colony, Pirwadhai. The family of the deceased accused CTD officers of torturing Hassan to death. CTD officials claimed the detainee died of high fever.
Death of a young man in custody of CTD Police Station Islamabad sparked a massive protest by the heirs and other people who blocked IJP Road by placing body on the road.
 Traffic flow remained affected for the whole day on the IJP Road as family members, relatives and area people chanted slogans against police and also demanded the Prime Minister to take action against the police officers involved in torturing the man to death in the lockup.
Bosses of Rawalpindi and Islamabad police rushed to the scene and tried to negotiate with the protestors to make them to open the road for traffic and to bury the body but in vain.
Traffic police also put efforts to regulate traffic but failed in doing so. A bumper to bumper traffic jam could be seen on IJP Road, Double Road, Faizabad Expressway, Peshawar Road, Pirwadhai Mor and other adjoining roads.
SSP Operations Islamabad Dr Syed Mustafa Tanweer said Bharakahu police officials have arrested Station House Officer (SHO) CTD Police Station Fayyaz Ranjha and ASI/Moharar Shamas Ali Akbar besides filing a case against them.
According to the mother of the deceased, she herself produced her son Hassan before investigators of CTD Islamabad for investigation. She alleged the CTD detained her and Hassan. She added she was also tortured by CTD and later released in some jungle area from where she hardly reached home. “CTD officers promised me to release him after recording his statement but they killed my son in custody,” she alleged. Hassan’s brother accused CTD officers and officials of giving electric shocks to his brother in lockup. “We were contacted by police at 3am and asked to take body of Hassan as he died of high fever,” He alleged his brother was tortured to death by CTD and appealed PM Imran Khan to take action against the cops involved in murder of his brother.
However, a police officer told media that Hassan was arrested by CTD for his alleged involvement in an armed attack on a police party at Container Chowk in limits of PS Golra on 7 March 2021 that left a cop martyred and injured two others. He said the detainee first smashed his head with iron bars of lockup and later suffered from high fever. He said police took him to a doctor for medical checkup but he could not survive. In the FIR, registered with PS Bharakahu, CTD officers claimed to have locked up Hassan after arresting him for his alleged involvement in firing on police. They said Hassan smashed his head into bars of lockup and sustained head injury. They mentioned Hassan died of high fever and not torture. However, the family of deceased rejected the claim of CTD and said Hassan was murdered by CTD by placing him under severe torture.
Meanwhile, the protestors kept blocking IJP Road. Islamabad Traffic Police, under the command of SSP Traffic Syed Karar Hussain, placed diversions at many places for diverting traffic on alternative routes.
“We have filed a case against accused CTD officers and held two also,” said SSP Operations Islamabad Dr Syed Mustafa Tanweer. He said IG Islamabad Qazi Jamil Ur Rehman has also taken notice of the sadistic incident and formed investigation teams. He said a judicial inquiry will also be conducted in the case. “All the senior police officers are on the scene and are having talks with the protestors,” he said. Till the filing of this report, the heirs and relatives of Hassan were staging protest by blocking IJP Road for traffic.