Monitoring Desk
LAHORE: At least 24 prisoners lost their lives in Punjab police custody during 2022, and two more people died in police custody in the first 15 days of the current year, according to police sources.
In 2022, the highest number of deaths was recorded in Lahore, where four people lost their lives, whereas no casualties were reported in the Dera Ghazi Khan region. As many as four deaths were also reported each in Sheikhupura, Sargodha, and Sargodha. One death was reported in Bahawalpur and Lahore each during the current year.
Responsible for deaths in police custody?
The former Punjab inspector general of police (IGP) had held the district police chiefs responsible for these deaths in police custodians said that junior officers usually are nominated in such cases. In most such cases, the employees have been reinstated after completing a formal inquiry.
An official in the Police department claimed that the Punjab IGP had taken strict notice of the casualties of prisoners in custody across Punjab, including Lahore. According to the official, IG has ordered the registration of cases against the officers responsible for the deaths.
