Woman raped at her house in Peshawar

Police official says victim was only tortured, refused to go for medical examination


Riaz Ahmad July 23, 2016
Rights activist Rukhshanda Naz told The Express Tribune that a few simple steps could help women legally in the case of rape and these steps should be taken soon. PHOTO: REUTERS

PESHAWAR: A woman said she had been raped after being severely tortured inside her house within the jurisdiction of Gulberg police station on Friday evening. The claim was denied by the local police who registered an FIR against the accused in a case of torture and arrested them.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, the woman said she was living in a rented house in Gulberg and was a house wife. Her husband was working at an NGO.

“On Friday evening, six people, including two of the house owners, came to my house,” the woman said. “Three of them stayed outside while three men entered my house and one of them, Shah Zaman, put a pillow on my mouth, bit on different parts of my body and raped me,” she said, adding, two of the other accused were inside the house.

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“They took away my gold ring and locket with them before fleeing,” she said. The woman said she was tortured and raped.

“He raped me. I cannot tell you in detail what Zaman did to me,” she said, adding, she went to the local police station but the police showed no interest in the case and then reluctantly arrested the accused.

Other version

A police official told The Express Tribune, “This is a case of torture and the accused tore the clothes of the complainant but the woman claims she had been raped.”

He added the police wanted to send the woman for a medical examination but she declined to go and therefore, rape could not be determined and those charges could not be pressed. He said her refusal to go for medical opinion was an indication that she had not been raped.

Cantt SP Kashif Zulfiqar confirmed the woman had declined to go for medical examination and the case was that of torture and not rape.

He said the FIR had been registered on the basis of a written complaint received from the woman in which she had refused to go for a medical examination that would determine whether or not she was raped.

“The woman is around 35 years old and an FIR has been registered against the accused under sections 354, 452, 148, 142 of Pakistan Penal Code,” he said, adding Zaman, Ishfaq and Amir had been named along with, three unidentified men in the FIR. “The accused were immediately arrested.”

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Zulfiqar also said there was an ongoing tussle between the tenant and house owner regarding evacuating of property for some time.

Clarification

When the woman was questioned about her refusal to go for medical examination, she said she had been raped by one of the six accused who also tortured her.

“I declined to go for medical examination because I was not feeling well due to the torture that was inflicted on me and so I told them I would go for it later,” she said. “I did not say I was not willing to go for it at all.”

Rights activist Rukhshanda Naz told The Express Tribune that a few simple steps could help women legally in the case of rape and these steps should be taken soon.

“First the victim should go to any government hospital and have herself examined by a doctor thoroughly within 24 hours of the incident,” she said. “Once physical evidence is destroyed nothing can be done about it.” She said any victim can get herself examined without consulting the police and the police station can be informed later.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 24th, 2016.

COMMENTS (3)

SHAH | 7 years ago | Reply Once she claimed that she was tortured and raped, why she is avoiding medical check??? After claim of rape, it then is mandatory to be checked medically to establish forced entry; Alternatively 4 male witnesses needed to testify they saw the whole thing happen and they watched the whole thing done by force on the woman; Absence of either does not establish the charges claimed; She 'must' get medically checked; Torture and physical injury and marks are visible and cannot be hidden; still need medical forensics to gather evidence;
Farhan | 7 years ago | Reply She should be brave and go for the examination and let police do their duty to handle the cast at their best.
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