Kasur-style scandal?

A Kasur-style child abuse scandal appears to have shaken Sindh’s Khairpur district, a place farther afield from the Punjab city which had earned international notoriety only recently. While initial reports do not equate the latest episode with the Kasur horror in terms of its scope and size, indications are that this one could also prove to be a networked crime, with many more characters involved and not just the lone criminal apprehended on Friday. Press reports say a retired schoolteacher was allegedly involved in committing sodomy with minor students whom he tutored at a private property. The suspect was rounded up on Friday evening after evading arrest earlier, the Sindh Police announced on Twitter. Sukkur range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Fida Hussain Mastoi earlier said the police had conducted a raid at the suspect’s hometown but he had managed to escape.

A picture showing the teacher allegedly sodomising a minor boy was widely shared on Twitter, with residents and activists demanding immediate arrest of the suspect and justice for the victims. Two first FIRs have been registered against the teacher on rape charges as well as under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997, on the complaint of parents of two children allegedly abused by him. The suspect had retired recently from a government job as a schoolteacher. He was alleged to have raped one of his pupils, filmed the ghastly act and then made it viral. He has also been accused of forcing his students to commit sodomy with each other. All the students who were studying at his tuition centre were aged between 10 to 12 years. According to a local journalist, those who made the sexual abuse videos go viral are members of the suspect’s gang as well.

The revelation stirred widespread concern, with civil society groups calling for action against the culprit and a thorough investigation to reach his accomplices.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 19^th, 2020.

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