Several police officials seek long leave in protest over lawyers’ action

HYDERABAD: Several policemen, including SHOs and incharges of various cells have expressed their inability to perform duties in protest over lawyers’ barging into SSP’s office on Tuesday, and sought 30-day leave for “recovery from this shock”.

The policemen gathered in SSP office on Wednesday to submit their leave applications amid reports that agitating lawyers have demanded transfer of SSP Dr Farrukh Ali for his refusal to remove Bhitai Nagar police station’s SHO who had booked Advocate Ali Raza Bozdar on Monday for using tinted glasses and fancy number plates.

Hyderabad Range DIG Tariq Razzaq Dharejo rushed to the SSP office to calm the police officials down and persuaded them to resume duties. They included; incharge CIA Karim Abbasi, incharge investigation cell at SSP office, Kashif Bajwa; SHO Pinyari Sajid Arain, incharge 15 City, Raja Sohail, Cantonment police station SHO Abdul Razak, Market police station SHO Munir Abbasi etc.

They said in their applications that Tuesday’s episode had demoralised police and tarnished their image.

Lawyers call off protest after talks with DIG

The Hyderabad police’s reaction appeared to be a repeat of police protest when several SSPs had expressed their inability to perform duties after then IGP Mushtaq Mahar’s house was raided by Rangers before Capt Safdar’s arrest in October 2020 from a hotel in Karachi.

Lawyers call off protest

Lawyers called off their protest earlier on Wednesday morning after DIG arrived in SSP office where they had continued their sit-in till late Tuesday-Wednesday night.

Karachi Bar Association (KBA) president Amir Warraich, General Secretary Rehman Korai, Hyderabad District Bar Association (HDBA) Ziauddin Shaikh, general secretary Shakir Shar and former HDBA leader Faisal Mughal, who led the sit-in, demanded transfer of the SSP to which the DIG replied that it was beyond his powers.

The DIG said that he could present their demand to police high-ups. “It took us 90 minute before DIG agreed with us that SSP will be transferred,” said Shaikh while talking to Dawn.

Sources said that DIG had told lawyers that he could ask the SSP to proceed on two days leave but he could not make a promise to get him transferred. If the SHO was at fault then the matter could be got probed through an inquiry committee, he said.

KBA president had announced in presence of DIG: “It has been agreed that the SSP will be transferred and the DIG will visit HDBA to normalise the situation”. A video clip of the occasion showed the DIG watching Warraich making such announcement but he did not appear to agree or disagree with his point.

Later, the DIG told Dawn that police had exercised restraint despite the fact that lawyers trespassed into the SSP offices. Police had so far avoided registering cases for this act as police tried to defuse the situation through talks, he said.

He said that the car had been returned under some legal provision to HCBA president Ayaz Tunio but another group of lawyers had taken a different position on the issue.

Lawyer Faisal Mughal said that lawyers had told the DIG that lawyers had many complaints of against the SSP. “We did tell the DIG lawyers will have agreed to normalise the situation had SSP apologised but now the demand is for his transfer,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2025