Army officials thrash cops in Pakistan; videos spark outrage
The clips showed the army officers assaulting and beating up policemen in Punjab's Bahawalnagar.
Videos depicting Pakistan army personnel torturing policemen from Punjab province have triggered widespread outrage on social media. The clips showed the army officers assaulting and beating up policemen in Punjab's Bahawalnagar.
In one clip, the army men made the cops in uniform sit on the ground on their knees. Two cops, who were tortured, were also seen pleading before the army men to spare them.
In another clip, two young cops were seen trying to escape from being caught by the army personnel.
Speaking about the incident, a senior police officer told news agency PTI, “Three civilians were illegally detained and the Punjab police personnel were demanding money for their release…”
“The policemen also raided the residence of an army officer to arrest an accomplice of the trio. This piqued some army personnel who then raided the Madrassa police station at Bahawalnagar to free those three persons. During that raid, the policemen were tortured," a police officer said.
Meanwhile, the Punjab police said in its statement, “This matter in Bahawalnagar, which went viral on social media, has been taken out of context and exaggerated. Fake propaganda is being made on social media.”
The statement said the episode is being presented to imply fighting between the Pakistan army and Punjab Police. "When the unverified videos went viral, both institutions launched a joint investigation. Officers from both institutions reviewed the facts and peacefully resolved the matter,” it added.
Following the incident, four policemen, SHO Abbas Rizwan, Muhammad Naeem, Muhammad Iqbal and Ali Raza, were suspended and arrested under different sections of the Pakistan Penal Code.
(With inputs from PTI)
Recommended Topics