‘Unfortunate incident’ in Bahawalnagar: Joint inquiry to be conducted: ISPR

KARACHI: The military’s media affairs wing said on Friday that a joint inquiry comprising security and police officials would be conducted for “ascertaining the facts and apportioning responsibility” for the “unfortunate incident” in Bahawalnagar.

On Wednesday, a string of videos showing Army officers allegedly assaulting and beating up cops in Bahawalnagar went viral on social media. One video showed a man sitting on the ground with a bloody nose. Another clip showed a man and two army personnel forcing policemen to kneel in a queue.

Some social media users claimed that the incident was motivated by police recovering an illegal weapon from the relative of a soldier.

The footage had also drawn outrage from politicians.

Subsequently, the Punjab Police had decried “fake propaganda”. “This matter in Bahawalnagar, which went viral on social media, has been taken out of context and exaggerated,” the police said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) — without giving any details of the alleged incident — said: “An unfortunate incident occurred in Bahawalnagar recently, which was promptly addressed and resolved through collaborative efforts of military and police authorities.

“Despite this, certain factions with vested motives started fanning vitriolic propaganda on social media to create divisions between state institutions and government departments,” the ISPR said.

“To ensure a fair and deliberate inquiry, and to determine responsibility for violation of laws and misuse of authority, a joint inquiry comprising security and police officials will be conducted for ascertaining the facts and apportioning responsibility,” it said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024