A 25-year-old transgender woman has allegedly been kidnapped, tortured and sexually assaulted by 'unknown persons' for participating in the 'People's Climate March' organised by Karachi Bachao Tehreek (KBT).
The KBT is a campaign to end the demolition of Karachi's working-class settlements and markets.
The incident allegedly took place on Saturday night - the day before the march.
The people highlighting the issue on the media and the social media have neither disclosed the name of the victim nor filed a police report as yet. The victim is in trauma and was not willing to speak to anyone, her community leaders claim.
Shehzadi Rai, a representative of the Gender Interactive Alliance (GIA), told The Express Tribune that the police FIR was not lodged because of 'threats' to the victim and her family.
"We do not have confidence in the system," Rai said, quoting the victim. "Some police officials have contacted us but we have not decided as yet to register a formal complaint against the kidnappers."
Bindya Rana, GIA's head, told The Express Tribune that the victim was kidnapped by some unknown persons from near Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. "Our fellow was abducted and remained in captivity for two days," Rana disclosed. "The family is also under threat," Rana added.
Read More: Woman allegedly abducted, gang-raped
The victim's friends said that there were four kidnappers. "The victim was threatened for participating in the march," Rai said.
The KBT said in a tweet: "On the 12th of December we organised a People's Climate March in Karachi. The night before our protest, we held an organising meeting. One of our organisers, a trans-woman, was abducted on her way home."
The text on the mini-blogging site said that the victim was tortured and raped for information regarding the march's programme and its speeches. "Our march centered the demands of working-class people in Karachi who have been impacted by eco-fascist and extractive development projects," the Tweet read.
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan condemning the incident in Karachi has said that the commission was appalled at the recent physical and sexual assault on a Karachi Climate March trans activist. "HRCP stands in solidarity with the survivor."
In a statement, the commission said that the incident was perpetrated allegedly by law enforcement personnel for the purposes of extracting information regarding the march compounds our causes for alarm, given that the trans community is already subjected to disproportionate violence.
Taking notice of the incident, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has directed Inspector General of Police to probe the matter. "The police have been directed to investigate the matter," CM House Spokesperson Abdul Rasheed Channa said. The GIA's representatives confirmed to The Express Tribune that some top officials from District West and District Central have contacted them. Despite many attempts to Karachi police chief, no one was willing to comment on the incident.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 15th, 2021.
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