Pakistan Railways Divisional Commercial Officer (DCO) Lahore Tariq Latif along with his staff and police allegedly tortured passengers after stopping a train at a deserted place on the Lahore-Narowal section. The incident occurred in the night between Saturday and Sunday when train 211-Up left Lahore two hours late and reached 17km from Shahdara Bagh.
The DCO with his staff stopped the train at a deserted place. He allegedly not only harassed passengers but his staff and the police tortured them as well. The train was detained there for more than an hour when there was no light in and outside the train. The train moved after intervention of Divisional Superintendent Javaid Anwar who was contacted by some passengers.
Passengers told APP here on Sunday that it was second time that the DCO with the help of police had stopped the train at the place and misbehaved with passengers. They said that he not only delayed the trains but also caused hardships for passengers including elderly passengers including women and children.
Asif Ali, a passenger, said that the DCO even detained passengers who protested against his attitude. Nasir Bhatti, another passenger, said that tickets should be checked by the PR staff and it was illegal and unethical to torture passengers by stopping trains for hours at deserted places.
Passengers urged the authorities to investigate the incidents and punish those who are found guilty. DCO Tariq Latif did not respond to calls despite repeated attempts. However, Javaid Anwar, DS Lahore, said that he would look into the matter.