After beatings and burnings comes a head shaving

District police officer’s family accused of torturing minor sisters

LAHORE: With people yet to recover from two shocking incidents involving the torture of minor domestic workers, another disturbing case has emerged in which the family of a district police officer shaved the head of their maid. Her only crime was wanting to see her mother.

The incident rides on the coattails of the ordeal of nine-year-old Tayyaba, who was tortured by a judge’s family in Islamabad, and Abida whose hands were burnt by an employer for breaking a windowpane in Defence, Lahore. The Supreme Court of Pakistan had taken suo moto notice of both incidents.

In this latest case, the victim was not the only one as her minor sister, also a maid at the same house, was brutally thrashed.



The DPO also reportedly chose to abuse his powers and threatened the court bailiff who came to recover the girls. The policeman’s mother-in-law is allegedly the one who decided to shave the girl’s head after the latter requested to meet her parent.

The bailiff was deployed after the mother of the minors reached a district and sessions court, seeking the recovery of the girls. She said they were being badly tortured.

Petitioner Jameela bibi told the court that Shahida Bibi and Muhammad Arsalan had asked her to send her daughters Iqra and Zaman to work as maidservants as there was a marriage function in their house.

She added the family later told her to leave the girls at the residence on a permanent basis, assuring they would be properly cared for.

Weeks later, the father of the children died and the family of the policeman did not allow them to return for the funeral.

After the burial, the mother went to the house to protest, but was not allowed to meet her own children. She subsequently filed a petition with the court, seeking the recovery of the minors. She asked the court to direct Sattokatla SHO, a respondent in the case, to recover the girls and produce them before court.

A bailiff was dispatched to the house. The court official said when he reached, Sheikhupura DPO Sarfraz Virk ordered him to leave the premises immediately. Even after the bailiff read out the court order, the police officer did not allow him to proceed.

The bailiff further mentioned in his report that police officials did not cooperate and left him alone at the scene. He reminded the cops of their duty to remain present till orders were executed, but they paid no heed.

He also called the 15 helpline to ask for personnel, but no members of the force reached the spot. He requested that strict action be taken against the police officials concerned.



On Saturday, a police official, on behalf of Satokattla SHO, appeared before the court and said the house of the DPO did not fall in the police station’s jurisdiction. To this, the lawyer of the petitioner contended that the Satokattla police had assured the court that the minors would be produced.

The counsel found it astonishing that a police official was now claiming that the residence did not fall in the station’s remits.

He said the DPO was behind the case and was directing officials to use such tactics, adding the court was being deceived. He claimed the DPO’s family was demanding Rs.200,000 from the poor family for the release of the girls on the grounds that it looked after them. The court reserved its decision for Monday.

Sheikhupura DPO Sarfraz Virk through did not respond to text messages asking for a comment on the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 29^th, 2017.