IHC rejects bail plea of madrassa rape case suspect

Justice Minallah remarked that the state was careless about such incidents with children

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday rejected bail plea of a suspect, Zeeshan, charged with molesting a child at a seminary in Bhara Kahu.

DIG Waqaruddin Syed informed the court that the suspect had been booked for assaulting a boy in a madrassa.

A single-member-bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah was presiding over the case.

DIG said that the investigation officer had been replaced with SP Investigation who was now overseeing it.

Minallah remarked that such incidents with the children were growing in society. Citing the Tayabba assault case, he added that it was one example of the many but luckily it got highlighted on the media.

He said that according to FIR the victim’s father apprised the Qari about the whole incident but he took no action on it. “When we asked the investigation officer about the investigation progress, he suggested us to ask from the applicant,” the court added and remarked that the investigation officer had no idea about anything. “How will the things change this way?”

Minallah remarked that the state was careless about such incidents with children and expressed that what would become of a society that could not protect its children.

He criticised the police saying that it only becomes active once the incidents catches media’s attention. Justice Minallah said it was sad to note that the incident occurred at a place where the Holy Book was taught.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2019.