Following the suicide of a recruit, the Deputy Commandant of the Police Training College in Hangu was suspended on Sunday. Despite being ill, the recruit was being penalised for arriving late.
Provincial police chief Akhtar Hayat reacted to the upsetting incident by acting. To conduct the inquiry into the events leading up to the recruit’s death, he designated Kohat division Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sher Akbar Khan as the inquiry officer.
The inquiry officer will hasten the investigation and determine the justifications for punishing a sick recruit. The objective is to ascertain what could have prompted the recruit to act in such a drastic manner.
The incident has angered prospective students at the college. They assert that despite being ill, he was denied a three-day reprieve from additional drills. His trip from Waziristan to the college was blamed for his tardiness.
Protesters demand justice for the deceased recruit and demand that the moharrar, chief drill inspector, reserve inspector, and line officer be brought to justice. These officials are charged with being the main decision-makers at the training college and preventing complaints from being taken up with higher authorities.
As the investigation progresses, tensions increase, bringing attention to the need for institutional reform and driving a demand for accountability and transparency in the treatment of recruits.
