Rape case: Investigation officer suspended

Court comes to the rescue of rape victim who was also bullied by the police.

RAWALPINDI: A court came to the rescue of a rape victim, who was also bullied by the police.

The District and Sessions Judge Mehmood Maqbool Bajwa on Monday suspended the investigation officer, issued a contempt of court notice against him.

The judge directed the Regional Police Officer to provide safety to the 15-year-old rape victim and her family and also ordered registration of a case against the lady constables who allegedly tortured the rape victim during investigation.

Muhammad Faisal Butt, the victim’s lawyer, said that the court had directed to register a case of kidnapping, sexual assault, torture, criminal negligence and forging evidence against the accused and the investigation officer and female constables.

Police, on the other hand, claimed to have arrested the main suspect in the kidnapping, torture and rape case.

The victim, Shakeela*, a resident of Nadeemabad Colony in Rawalpindi, was allegedly kidnapped by Ajaib Ali*, a month ago. The victim informed the judge that the suspect raped her after kidnapping for a few days and then sold her to a 60-year-old man Waseem*, who along with his two friends raped her for 22 days. The victim said the police officials forced her to make a statement absolving the main accused of all charges. The investigation officer was also accused of delaying medical examination of the victim.

However, two lady doctors from Benazir Bhutto Hospital confirmed that the victim had been raped.

*Names of the rape victim and accused changed

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8^th, 2011.