Funeral prayers of teenager who died in police custody offered

Funeral prayers were offered on Monday for a teenager who reportedly committed suicide in police custody in Peshawar.

Speaking on the occasion, SSP Operations Yasir Afridi said the lack of CCTV cameras was “negligence and action has been taken against the policemen”.

“Yesterday’s incident is unfortunate and the police chief himself is looking into the whole situation,” said Deputy Speaker Provincial Assembly Mahmood Jan, adding that the SHO of the concerned police station has also been suspended and a probe will be carried out into the matter.

Seventh-grader Shazaib was a resident of Warsak road and was arrested on Sunday after he squabbled with a shopkeeper and pointed a weapon at him. The arrest had been carried out upon the complaint of the shopkeepers in Liaquat Bazaar.

The police registered an FIR against Shahzaib and took him into custody. Later, the teen allegedly committed suicide inside the station lock-up.

Once the news of his death broke, residents of the area along with relatives of the teen protested outside the Gharbi (Western) police station.

Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, taking notice of the incident, suspended the entire staff of the concerned police station and ordered a judicial inquiry into the matter.