Inquiry ordered over police assault on women
Balochistan Chief Minister Abdud Quddus Bizenjo on Monday ordered an inquiry into an incident involving policemen who assaulted women in Quetta’s Toghi Road area.
The video of the incident went viral on social media, prompting the authorities to take notice. The video shows a police officer assaulting a woman while forcing her into a parked police mobile.
The CM ordered the inspector general of police (IGP) to take immediate action against the police personnel involved in the incident. He told the police chief to suspend the officials and sought a report after the completion of preliminary inquiry.
“Citizens, especially women, must be respected by the police. If the arrest of women was necessary then action should have been taken by a lady police officer,” the provincial chief executive said. Terming the attitude of the police as “absolutely unacceptable,” Bizenjo said that it is “important to restore public confidence in the police”.
On the other hand, Deputy IGP Syed Fida Hassan Shah said that two police officers, Sub-Inspector Abdul Naveed and Gunman Ghulam Raza, have been suspended. He also said that legal proceedings against them have been initiated.
Shah said that the parents of the three missing women had filed a report about them at Quaidabad Police Station.
He said that the parents spotted their daughters on Toghi Road area of the provincial capital on Monday evening, and the police reached the spot to hand them over.
“Yes, there had to be lady police officers, but the officers on duty demonstrated negligence,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 18th, 2022.