The ‘Golden Man’ who plies his trade at the Bank Road in Saddar has been allotted a suitable space by the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) to resume his performances for the public.
The entertainer, one of the many street artists in the twin cities who douse themselves in gold colour from head to toe and emulate the art of ‘living statues’, was allegedly roughed up by RCB employees a day earlier. The performer proceeded to lodge a complaint with the Cantonment Police.
The police then mediated between the parties, with the Golden Man deciding to ‘forgive’ his suspected tormentors. Consequently, the case was disposed of and the RCB provided him a space for performing.
Reportedly, the Golden Man, whose real name is Imran Hanif, belongs to Sialkot and is the sole breadwinner of his family that consists of a widowed mother, a wife, four children and two young siblings.
He moved from Sialkot to Rawalpindi in search of employment. Due to poor economic circumstances, he assumed the garb of a Golden Man and began performing at the Gharyal Chowk on Bank Road to earn money. Hanif would brave scorching heat and heavy downpours to continue entertaining people for a chance to collect any amount he could to send home.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Hanif said that he was performing as usual at Gharyal Chowk when members of RCB’s enforcement staff asked him to leave on Thursday night.
An argument broke out between them, and suddenly three to four employees attacked him with sticks. Hanif fled and reached the Cantonment police station to save his life and registered a complaint.
Police then called the RCB employees to the police station and the matter was fully investigated. During the investigation, the employees asserted that the Golden Man’s presence at Gharyal Chowk is affecting incoming traffic from both sides.
RCB officials, on the other hand, stated that Golden Man had only been asked to stand somewhere else, but he refused and started arguing with employees.
They strongly denied the use of force or torture on the Golden Man, insisting that the Golden Man lost his temper when the staff asked him to go elsewhere. “No torture or manhandling took place,” declared the officials.
On the orders of the station commander, Hanif was thereafter not only officially permitted to continue performing, but was also given a proper place to do so. Assurances of full cooperation by the RCB staff were also given.
Anjuman-e-Tajiran Cantt Bank Road Saddar General Secretary Zafar Qadri while giving his take on the matter said that the Golden Man is a harmless character who entertains visitors on Bank Road.
He strongly condemned the violence against the street artist, saying that the traders' association in the cantonment fully support him and that an event would be organised soon to encourage him, in which all business representatives would participate and express solidarity with the Golden Man.
Qadri clarified that the presence of this unique character on Bank Road did not cause any trouble to the traders. “In fact, the Golden Man draws crowds to our area with his entertaining antics, which is ultimately beneficial for us,” he said.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Potohar Rana Abdul Wahab while talking to The Express Tribune said that following a complete inquiry into the matter, the investigation did not find any evidence of violence against the Golden Man.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 18th, 2022.
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