FAISALABAD, July 20: Police officials are employing tactics to save the skins of their five colleagues against whom an additional district and sessions judge ordered a case for raping an under-trial woman accused on July 16, it is learnt.
Police inducted the sessions court judge as plaintiff in the case.
Manzoor Ahmed, of C Block in Millat Town, moved the district and sessions court last week, saying that his 17-year-old daughter ‘A’ was implicated in the murder of her fiancé Imran on March 14 who was killed in Faisalabad. He claims when Imran was murdered, her daughter was at home.
He said Sub-Inspector (SI) Ghulam Rasool kept his daughter in a private location till March 29 without producing her before a court. When the SI produced her before the court, he requested the court to send her to judicial lockup.
Manzoor, a labourer, said they managed to meet her daughter in jail on April 4.
Quoting his daughter, Manzoor said SI Rasool and constables Iqbal, Ameer Wattoo and Shehbaz had stripped her naked frequently and tortured her. After physical torture, woman constable Nargis used to massage her, apparently to heal her torture marks. She alleged SI Shujat Ali Malhi had raped her twice. Rasool also attempted to rape her many times and used to fondle her. He says Rasool was ready to exonerate her if she had slept with him, adding that when she refused, the SI declared her guilty and sent her to jail.
Rasool also arrested the elder sister of ‘A’ on March 26, on the directions of Malhi and both sisters were stripped naked in front of each other. He alleged police released his elder daughter after receiving a Rs35,000 bribe on March 28. He says police warned him to keep mum or face consequences.
The judge summoned ‘A’ from the judicial lockup and after listening to her, ordered Sargodha Road police to register a case against Malhi, Rasool, Iqbal, Wattoo, Shehbaz and Nargis.
The Sargodha Road police registered a case under section 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) on July 19 against the five accused. Police officials, however, inducted the judge as a plaintiff instead of the alleged rapist’s father. Rasool has been arrested while the remaining accused are at large.
Investigation conducted by Dawn revealed that police delayed the registration of the case for three days only to make a deal with the victim family.
Police charged the accused only under section 376 of the PPC but overlooked the charges of torturing the woman and putting her in a private location after her arrest her. The medical examination of the girl has yet to be conducted and police have not approached court to seek directions for the examination.
The Sargodha Road station house officer said police would induct Manzoor or ‘A’ as a plaintiff of the case as the sessions judge was just an applicant of the case. He said raids were being conducted to arrest the remaining accused. He said police would bring the victim to hospital for her medical examination on Monday (today).
Source: dawn
Date:7/21/2008
