Pakistan, Feb. 10 -- It happens in Pakistan and other developing countries. A man gets into a roadside dispute. A police constable takes offence. Within hours, he is behind bars. Soon after, he is declared dead. The media reports it as a usual story. The next day, another similar story. The life moves on.

One such story datelined Karachi says that a shopkeeper was detained and taken to police station over a minor altercation. The police claimed he suddenly fell ill in custody. But the autopsy told another story. There were injuries on his face and ears. Blood was oozing from his wounds. His family and colleagues say he was tortured to death. The post-mortem report says so but the police deny the allegations.

Such deaths are taken as a m...