A 14-year-old Pakistani boy has died under unclear circumstances while in police custody in the northwestern city of Peshawar, triggering a protest rally outside the police station where the incident took place.
Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on March 15 suspended the entire staff of the Gharbi police station and ordered an inquiry into the incident.
The officer in charge of the police station was also detained.
The boy, identified as Shahzaibwas, was detained the previous day after a dispute at Liaquat Bazaar during which he allegedly pointed a weapon at shopkeepers, according to a statement issued by the office of the Chief City Police Officer.
It said the detained committed suicide the police station.
But Shahzaibwas’s father claims he died after being tortured by officers, and that his body was hanged to pretend he had committed suicide.
Relatives of the deceased boy and local residents gathered outside the Gharbi police station and blocked a busy road for several hours, chanting slogans against police brutality.
