LAHORE: A woman summoned to Shahdara Town police station over a theft allegation says she was tied to a charpoy and beaten, and a medical report has found marks of violence on her legs and feet.
The complainant, Sadia, said an assistant sub-inspector named Bilal phoned to call her to the station and told her she was suspected of stealing. She says she explained that she had nothing to do with it.
By her account, she was then taken into a room, bound to a cot and assaulted. Her condition worsened, after which she was allowed to go home. She had trouble walking afterwards.
Sadia was treated and medically examined at Mian Munshi Hospital. The report records injuries on her legs and feet, which is consistent with her complaint but does not by itself establish who caused them.
She has demanded legal action against the officers involved. Police had not given their version at the time of filing, and the picture may change once they do.
Custodial torture is a criminal offence under the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act, 2022.
The allegation is not an isolated one. A judicial inquiry was ordered in August after two women died in Lahore police custody, and last month a security guard alleged torture and illegal detention in North Cantonment.
Punjab police say they are tightening discipline, reporting that 791 personnel faced action over corruption in 13 days in September.
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