In a brutal case of intolerance, an 80-year-old Hindu man was savagely beaten up by a police constable in Pakistan for eating and selling food just 40 minutes before Iftaar outside his house in Ghotki. Publicly eating or drinking during Roza hours is banned in Pakistan.
According to the reports, the IG of Sindh Police ordered the arrest of Ali Hussain after the family of Gokal Das posted pictures of the octogenarian who was beaten and bruised badly.
The pictures caused a massive social media uproar, and ultimately led to the arrest of the constable in question.
“The incident occurred last Thursday in Ghotki where Das was selling Iftaari items before Iftaar and Hussain claimed he also saw him eating a banana,” a local police official said. “The constable showed high-handedness in dealing with the matter and he thrashed the old man who was rescued by citizens.”
Hussain, who was posted in Ghotki district, has been arrested on charges of torturing and injuring Das after Vinod Kumar, Das’s grandson, registered an FIR against.
Bachal Qazi, the Station House Officer of the Jawar police station in whose jurisdiction the village falls said that the constable and his brother “threw the old man on the ground and beat him badly before people rescued him.”
Even former PM Benazir Bhutto’s daughter tweeted about the incident:
Social and civil right activists as well as ordinary citizens criticised the brutal act exhibited by the policeman in their social media posts and demanded exemplary punishment for him.
An online movement to crowdfund Das’s treatment has also been launched.
(Inputs from PTI)
(Feature Image Source: Twitter/@jagranNews)