LHC grills police over viral video of shaved detainees in Kasur

• LHC asks under what law suspects were shaved.
• SHO, constable, IO issued contempt notices.
• IG told to submit full report on Kasur incident.

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday strongly criticised Kasur police over a viral video showing arrested boys and girls — some of them with shaved heads — asking under what law the police humiliated suspects and uploaded such footage on official social media accounts.

The remarks came as Justice Ali Zia Bajwa heard a contempt petition related to the Kasur incident, in which suspects were allegedly detained, shaved, and recorded by the police before the video was circulated online.

The clip reportedly included scenes mixed with footage from an Indian film, the court observed.

"Are people being shaved and then their videos posted on social media?" the judge asked, demanding clarity on the legal basis for such actions.

"What law permits the police to treat individuals this way? Is there any law left in this country?" he remarked sharply.

Kasur's district police officer (DPO) appeared before the court following a previous order and informed the bench that the person responsible for videotaping had been suspended, and cases under the PECA Act had been registered against those who shared the video online.

He also confirmed that a recommendation had been made to dismiss the SHO involved in the incident, citing his alleged collusion with the farmhouse owner, who has since fled.

The court questioned why the farmhouse owner had not been apprehended and asked what was recovered from the site.

The DPO responded that liquor bottles were recovered. Whereas, the Punjab prosecutor general noted that immoral activities and parties were frequently organised at the farmhouse.

Justice Bajwa responded that while illegal acts must be punished, public shaming of suspects was unacceptable.

"If someone has committed a crime, proceed with legal action — why publicise their action?" he asked.

The DPO added that the investigating officer in the case had favoured the suspects and that his dismissal had also been recommended. The government lawyer informed the court that the Investigation Officer (IO) had requested judicial remand for the accused. To this,

Justice Bajwa observed that, "No religion or society allows such acts," and summoned the DIG and Punjab advocate general to appear at the next hearing.

The advocate general has been directed to clarify whether any law anywhere in the world allows suspects in custody to be exposed in this way.

The court also issued contempt of court notices to the IO Sadiq, a constable, and the SHO involved, questioning why they should not be jailed for six months over violation of court orders.