Constables Sarfaraz Nawaz and Muhammad Azeem were caught from a house in Anwarabad, believed to be a private torture cell of the police, after residents of the area encircled the house and called other policemen to the spot. The women said they were kidnapped by the constables from a wedding ceremony where they had been invited as dancers.
They said some people followed the constables to the house where they had allegedly regularly brought suspects and detained them illegally. Police were later called to the spot and took the constables in custody and released the women.
Tariq Awan, an Anwarabad resident, said the constables were later released by City Jaranwala police without any action being taken against them.
He said the women were scared and refused to prosecute the constables but the residents of the area decided to approach the Jaranwala Town Superintendent of Police to request that he should take notice of the incident. SP Imran Kishawar then ordered the probe, he said.
Muhammad Ashraf, another resident of the area, said it was not a one off incident.
He alleged that the Jaranwala police station officials were regular visitors to the house.
Jaranwala police rejected the impression that the house was being used by its officials to illegally detain people. They said the constables were found guilty and sacked by the SP but unless a complaint was received against them police could not prosecute them for sexual assault.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 5th, 2011.
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