A Kafue Resident Emmanuel Nangwale has told Zambian Eye that he was on Thursday badly beaten and detained by the police for being a Tonga by tribe.
The incidence happened at Kafue Estate Police Post where Nangwale had escorted his friends to collect police reports so they can replace their National Registration Cards (NRC) and register as voters.
He narrated in an interview that when police discovered that he was Tonga, they told him that he was going to be beaten in revenge of the alleged Bweengwa attacks on the Police last Saturday in Monze.
Nangwale said he was beaten, detained for about six hours. He said he was only rescued by Kafue Police In-charge who concidently passed through the Police Post and ordered for his release. He says he was first accused of unlawful assembly but when he challenged the police that he was not in any assembly the charge was changed to misconduct likely to cause breach of peace.
And UPND Kafue Deputy constituency Secretary Mudenda charged that what happenined to Nangwale whom he saidentfied as a party member was disheartening.
Mudenda said:
“It is disheatening this morning a member of our party was briefly detained by the Police in revenge of the alleged Bweengwa attacks on the Police. The poor man simply escorted people who wanted a police report (for having lost NRCs). The report was to enable them replace their lost NRCs. To his surprise, the Police asked him whether he was a Tonga or not even before attempting to attend to his problem. (He was accused of unlawful assembly and misconduct likely to cause havoc). As soon as he responded in affirmative, they told him that they were going to give him a beating of his life before he can administer his Bweengwa discipline on them.
They sorted him out good and throw him into the cooler. In there the fellow inmates also had a field day and baptized him with further punishment. Some officers were heard saying he should rot there until after elections. The poor chap was only rescued by the Officer in Charge Kafue Police who coincidentally passed through there and inquired what the badly beaten man had done. Without any good response from his officers, he ordered them to release him forthwith. It however took a good number of hours before the instruction was carried out. All this took place at Kafue Estates Police Post. Are we safe under ECL or the political game has changed?”
Police in Kafue could not be reached for a comment Friday morning.
Nangwale by 8am Friday morning was at Kafue Police station to report the incidence.
We shall give you update as the story develops.