Police kill ‘innocent’ car rider; 5 arrested

ISLAMABAD: Five members of Islamabad Police’s anti-terror squad were arrested on Saturday after a young man was allegedly shot dead by them while travelling in his vehicle.

The youth, identified as Usama Nadeem Satti was going back home after dropping his cousin at about 1:45am at NUST University, H-11, but ATS comprising five personnel led by an assistant sub-inspector, intercepted him but he allegedly did not stop the car, consequently the police gunmen chased the car and riddled his car with bullets.

“Seven bullets hit him in different parts of his body including head and chest,” the spokesman for PIMS told The News.

All five police officials have been arrested after lodging of first information report (FIR) under section 302/34, 148,149 PPC.

The police authorities, after preliminary investigation of the case declared the innocence of the deceased student, confessing that it was the police blemish which didn’t use the other ways to stop the car but opened firing and killed the innocent young man. The statements and script of the FIR indicated that the police investigators twisted the case to hide reality of the incident.

A police bigwig when contacted by this correspondent, said, “The police received an emergency call from a resident of Shams Colony, Street No 6, identified as Asim. The caller informed the police that about four armed robbers entered his house and held the family members at gunpoint and looted valuables and sped away on a white car,” adding that upon receiving information, the ATS was called in to arrest the criminals involved in the robbery.

In the meantime, a while Suzuki car appeared from the same side and the ATS signalled to stop it, but the driver did not stop and preferred to run away, the police said in an early statement. The police team chased the car and shot at the car that hit the driver. The post-mortem report revealed the reality and exposed the attempt to twist the case, saying that the deceased received seven bullets while the police gunmen shot 22 bullets at the car from the backside instead of aiming at the tyres.

But the police investigators absolutely changed the script of the story, quoting the statement of the case, said, “Nadeem Younas, a resident of 589, street-19, G/13-2, lodged a written complaint with the police station saying his 22-year-old son went to drop his cousin at NUST, H-11 at about 2:00am when five police officials – Sub Inspector Iftikhar Ahmad and cops, Mudassar Mukhtar, Saeed Ahmad, Mohammad Mustafa, and Shakeel Ahmad intercepted his car and gunned him down. He claimed that they attacked him as a result of an exchange of harsh words. He claimed that it was a sequel to their enmity.

The residents of G/13, G/14, and adjacent localities staged a protest demonstration and barricaded both sides of the Srinagar Highway.

Chief Commissioner Islamabad, Aamir Ali Ahman, ordered a judicial inquiry to ascertain real facts of the incident. Additional Deputy Commissioner, Waqas Anwar will be the inquiry officer of the judicial inquiry of the case.

The police issued a press note saying, police received a call late at night around 01:30am that few dacoits in a white car have escaped after committing a robbery in sector H-13, the jurisdiction of PS Shams Colony.

Upon this, ATS police personnel deputed for patrol in the area tried to stop a white Suzuki car having tinted glasses.

Despite repeated calls by ATS officials, the driver didn’t stop. The police chased the vehicle for good five to six kilometres but the car did not stop. On this, the ATS officials headed by a Sub Inspector fired at the car. Unfortunately, the driver also got shot and succumbed to injuries.

The deceased was identified as Usama Nadeem, resident of sector G-13/2.

Inspector General of Police (IG) Islamabad, Muhammad Aamir Zulfiqar Khan immediately ordered an inquiry committee headed by DIG Operations Waqar into the incident and directed arrest of all the five police officials involved. The committee will report facts within 24 hours and strict legal and departmental action will be taken against all involved.

The police have registered FIR u/s 148/149/302PPC and 7-ATA and all five officials namely Sub-Inspector Iftikhar Ahmed and constables Mudassar Mukhtar, Shakeel Ahmed, Saeed Ahmed, and Muhammad Mustafa have been arrested.

"The law will take its course and all involved would be proceeded against,” the spokesman said while quoting IG as saying.

On the other hand, the young man’s father, in a complaint to the police, stated his son was returning home after dropping off a friend at 2:00am.

“My son was shot multiple times. They (anti-terror squad) openly committed terrorism by aiming at the windscreen instead of the tires," he said.

The father demanded that the personnel involved be charged with terrorism.

He said that his son had informed him about a past occasion when he had had a heated exchange with some police personnel who according to Usama had "threatened him of dire consequences".

The night of the incident, the police allegedly followed his car and then shot him, he said.

He also requested Prime Minister Imran Khan and Minister for Interior Sheikh Rashid Ahmed to take notice of the incident and provide him justice.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Interior Raja Khurram Nawaz, while taking notice of killing of student Osama Satti, has called an emergency meeting of the committee tomorrow (Monday).Chairman of the standing committee has also directed federal secretary interior, chief commissioner Islamabad and IG Islamabad Police to appear before the committee.

In a statement, Raja Khurram Nawaz regretted the incident and assured the family of the deceased and traders community that there would be transparent investigations into killing of the youth. "We will reach depth of the tragic incident and culprits will be taken to task," he said.

Reacting to the incident, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz asked: "Who is responsible for the murder of this innocent student who earns (bread) for his family by working hard at night?"

“The sanctity of human life has been violated in the last two and a half years,” claimed Maryam.

"There has never been such an insensitive government in Pakistan, like the (one in office) now," she added.

Meanwhile, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill said that a "transparent" inquiry would be conducted. "The facts will be made public."

“Whoever is responsible will be prosecuted according to the law,” he said, adding that such incidents are traumatic for the whole society.

Furthermore, PPP Punjab secretary-general Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed said that the youth’s killing by Islamabad Police was saddening.

"The murder of the young man will prove to be the last nail in the coffin of this government," Manzoor said, adding that whenever Shaikh Rashid enters a ministry, there is a loss of human life.