Police assault: Faisalabad woman faces double whammy
A woman, who was kidnapped and tortured by her in-laws, has alleged that a police official, claiming to be in-charge of her case, sexually assaulted her.
Talking to The Express Tribune on Tuesday, Shaheen, 35, claimed that after escaping from her abductors, she sought help from the police but, in turn, was assaulted by a police official.
She alleged that Amjad, the Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) of Police Station D-type Colony in Faisalabad, raped her and her complaints have, so far, been ignored.
Abducted by in-laws Shaheen, a mother of three, said she had decided to divorce her abusive husband and filed a case with the family court in Faisalabad for an award of maintenance allowance, which was accepted after two years in 2010.
However, despite court orders, she said, her ex-husband failed to pay the allowance and was subsequently arrested.
As a result, Shaheen claimed, her in-laws kidnapped her from the Faisalabad-Sammundri Road on August 11, 2011. She accused her abductors of torturing and beating her. Shaheen alleged that the police officials also disrobed and publicly disgraced her.
However, Shaheen managed to escape and moved a complaint before a police station against her abductors.
The complaint was filed at the D-Type Police (FIR No.618/11) under sections 365, 354, 511, 337-A and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Following the complaint, the ASI of the police station, Amjad, claimed that the case was assigned to him and assured Shaheen of arresting the accused.
He asked her to come to the station to provide details for the investigation.
“I remained at the station as the ASI promised he would conduct a late night raid and at about 11 pm, he took me to the Seghal City Bus Stop and raped me in a sugarcane field,” she said.
Shaheen said that she was left at the field, while the ASI escaped and threatened her with dire consequences if she told anyone about the incident.
However, after getting a medical check up and a certificate verifying the assault, she immediately filed a case against the accused police official at the Women Police Station but, so far, no action has been taken.
Shaheen said she also filed complaints before the City Police Officer (CPO) and Regional Police Officer (RPO) but police officials did not take notice.
“I have now moved a petition before the Additional Session Judge Abdur Rehman Bodala and the court has asked for a record from the police,” she added.
Shaheen added that because of her complaint against the ASI of the police, investigation officials had set her abductors free.
She has appealed to the Punjab chief minister to take notice of the incident and provide her with justice.
The names of the victim and her family have been changed to protect her identity
Published in The Express Tribune, September 7th, 2011.
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Criminal ASI if found involve, should hang till death so that police respect could sustain in public
Rape, gang rape, torturing women are on increase in that part of the country and it seems that it is a matter of routine as it goes mostly unheard. Laws seems to be insufficient to punish the culprits. Therefore will it not be advisable to regularise this matter as
no crimeand part of culture, where such accidents are repeated frequently and have become a routine matter.After this incident no women victims will go to the police station to lodge complaint and as such discriminatory law clauses are in place to produce four witnesses to prove a rape case. This helpless lady will now have to fight two cases including rape charge against the police official and it is most unlikely that she will get any justice at all. God save the women in Pakistan.