BAHAWALNAGAR: The additional Inspector general of south Punjab police has instructed to hold an inquiry into the alleged death of an elderly woman by police torture during an `illegal` raid at her house in the village Rohri Hasil Sarho on Sunday night.

When the deceased`s family along with sores of area people protested against the police, they were bookedinacasefor threatening the policemen. Later, a murder case was registered against 21 people (rivals of the deceased`s family) to allegedly save the skinof the officials. On the order of the AIG Office, SP Arslan Zahid visited the crime scene and recorded statements of the victim`s family, locals, and police and health of ficials.

The inquiry report of SP Investigation Farooq Anwar, being done on the orders of DPO Faisal Gulzar, has yet to be completed even after the passage of72 hours.Itis said the SP`s inquiry report favours the police officials while declaring them guilt-free. The report would be released if SP Zahid`s report also comes in favour of the police officials.

Up to 35 policemen on Sunday night made aforced entry into several houses to punish those who had beaten Sub Inspector Sohail Asif Ali when he tried to arrest a wanted suspect on Sunday noon. A member of the raiding team while requesting anonymity told Dawn that they thrashed the people after taking permission from their superiors becauseif they did not do that the fear of the police department in the heart of the people would have disappeared.

Earlier on March 25, a 10-member police party of the Madrassa police shot and killed a threemonth pregnant woman and injured her husband in a fake police encoun-ter. The district police, to save the skin of their of ficials, booked the couple and their relatives in a case of attacking the police team during a robbery attempt. However, later a departmental probe, initiated by the SP RIB Arslan Zahid, declared the police party guilty of misuse of authority. The district police, however, registered a weak case against the officials. The sources said the officials were booked under Section 155 C of the Police Order, instead of booking them on murder charges, adding that no one had been punished in this case yet despite the passage of several months.