LAHORE: Asian U-21 snooker champion Ahsan Ramzan has said he was taken into custody by Lahore police late on Wednesday night while he was practising at a snooker club and released a short while later.
The former world champion has also accused the police of “misbehaving” with him and demanded action against those responsible.
The teenager told Dawn.com on Thursday that he was practising at a club at College Road in Lahore Township when police reached the spot around 11:30pm.
“They asked for the club to be closed and moved all those playing and training there outside,” he said, adding that in turn, they told police that most of them had been practising at the club at night and it remained open all night.
“We told them that security cameras and guards were also deployed at the premise, and that we were just playing snooker and had not done anything wrong,” Ramzan said. “But police did not listen to us and asked us to talk to the Green Town station house officer (SHO). They also did not allow us to keep the club open late at night.”
The snooker player said he, snooker club owner Faisal and two others went to the Green Town police station where they met the SHO and were later put in a lock-up. “They also took away our mobile phones and other valuables,” he alleged.
A short while later, “some of my friends reached the police station and raised an outcry over the detention. At that, the SHO came out of his room and released us”.
According to Ramzan, he and his associates were kept in custody for around 20 to 30 minutes.
“I told them (police) that I am world champion and had to practice at the club, but no one listened,” he said.
The snooker player has demanded action against the policemen involved in the incident for allegedly detaining him and “misbehaving” with him.
Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has taken notice of the incident and sought a report from the Lahore capital city police officer (CCPO), according to a statement issued by the CM’s Office.
“He has ordered an investigation into the matter, facts be brought to light and action be taken against those responsible,” the statement said.
It quoted the interim CM as saying that the “mistreatment of the snooker champion is unacceptable under any circumstances”.
Later, a statement issued by CCPO Bilal Siddique Kamyana’s office said he had taken notice of the matter and directed the Saddar superintendent of police (SP) to carry out a probe.
He sought a report from the SP within 24 hours and instructed that action be taken against those responsible, the statement said.
