[Dawn] The inquiry report of a judicial magistrate has declared fake the encounter staged under the supervision of the two SPs in which a man was killed.Saleem alias Mithu of Mohallah Kot Mohammad was killed near a picket on Jaranwala Road by the CIA police headed by in-charge Organized Crime Lyallpur Town, Ahmed Muneel. Two SPs of the CIA and Madina Town also supervised the encounter.
The police told judicial magistrate Mehr Sarfraz Hussain that Ahmed Muneel and other coppers equipped with SMG rifles had picketed on Jaranwala Road on July 19 last.
They said the police had information that two accused Mithu, having a bounty of Rs0.5 million for his arrest, and Ghaffori, who was wanted in many cases of robbery/dacoity, would pass through the area on a bike.
They said when the police tried to intercept a cycle of violence coming from Tezaab Mills the riders started firing and turned their bike towards a link road. As the police chased them, the bikers became panicky and fell down, but succeeded in entering Commerce College by scaling its boundary wall.
The police asked them to surrender but they continued firing which was returned. After a brief shootout, the police found one of them (Mithu) dead while his accomplice managed to escape in the darkness.
The judge recorded statements of 16 people, including coppers, a doctor and a college watchman.
"Perusal of the evidence of witnesses clearly shows that the story narrated by the complainant (Muneel) in the FIR is concocted," the judge said.
He noted that head-constable Rafiullah had stated that barriers were erected for the picket, but Muneel said no barrier was installed. The head-constable said the incident had occurred at 1:45am but Muneel said it happened at 12:15am.
From contents of the FIR and evidence of a witness, there was a complete darkness, but constable Asad Zarryab said streetlights of the road and the college were on. In the same breath, the constable changed his version and said they were unable to see the accused.
Quoting the statement of constable Tanwir Hussain, the judge mentioned that probably the accused were doing firing by lying on the ground.
"If there was darkness in the ground then how did he know the position of the accused. There is a big question mark as how the bullets pierced into the abdomen of the accused when he was lying on the ground.
Muneel deposes that CIA SP Rai Zameer and the SP Madina Town reached the spot after stopping of the firing and the former had complimented him with remarks of "well done."
However,
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ASI Khalil Ahmed said both SPs reached the spot when the firing was continuing. Two coppers did not conceal the presence of the two SPs on the spot, the judge noted.
CIA Sub-Inspector Atif Mehmood and some other coppers said that both accused had fallen down from the bike. However,
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the judge said: "In my opinion both the riders should have suffered injuries after falling from a speedy bike, but the medico-legal certificate shows no such injuries on the body of the dear departed."
Quoting statement of watchman Noor Ahmed, the judge mentioned him as saying, "coppers told him only that they had an encounter". These lines speak volume for the authenticity of police version regarding the encounter, he said.
Wrapping up the inquiry, judge said: "In a nutshell I am of the considered opinion that it was a staged police encounter under the supervision of the then SP CIA and then SP Madina Town. In my view all coppers/officials present at the time of the fake police encounter are liable to be dealt with in accordance with law," he said.