‘Assaulted’ over suspicion of illicit relationship

Prayer leader held by police for questioning.


Express August 11, 2011

HAFIZABAD:


A prayer leader, Gulzar Hussain, was beaten up, his head and eyebrows shaved and paraded around Paraneeki village in Hafizabad allegedly by a landlord and his men. The assailants had suspected Hussain of having illicit relations with their sister who was his pupil at the village madrassa.


Talking to The Express Tribune, Hussain rejected the allegations and said that the girl was like a daughter to him. In an FIR registered with the Kaseeky police, Hussain has said that Shahid Ali, Ashiq Hussain and Bashir had kidnapped him from the village mosque. He said the three later blackened his face, shaved his head and eyebrows and paraded him in the village, accusing him of having illicit relations with Ali’s sister.

On Wednesday, Kaseeky police held Hussain for questioning when he had gone to the police station along with several villagers to report his escape from the landlords’ custody. Police said the girl was missing and they were holding the prayer leader to question him about her whereabouts.

Talking to The Tribune, several villagers said they suspected that Ali had killed his sister.

They said the man belonged to an influential family and would now likely accuse Hussain of his sister’s murder. “Why else would the police hold him and not take any action against his kidnappers” they said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 12th, 2011.

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