Man held for torturing stepdaughter

Police take action after video of abuse goes viral on social media

RAWALPINDI:

Rawalpindi police have arrested a man for subjecting his stepdaughter to torture in the Race Course area of the garrison city.

A police spokesperson Thursday said the Race Course police took immediate action and registered a case and held Khawar, the accused. He said City Police Officer (CPO) Syed Khalid Mahmood Hamdani took action after a video of the episode of violence went viral on social media. He also sought a report on the incident from Potohar SP, the spokesperson said. The CPO said that violence against children was intolerable and that the accused would be brought to justice.

According to sources, the Rawalpindi Child Protection Bureau also sprang into action after the video surfaced on social media. They also said the police and Child Protection Bureau rescued the 8-year-old victim named Noor Fatima.

Rawalpindi Child Protection Bureau Director Ali Abid Naqvi said that the stepfather often used to torture the girl over petty domestic issues and the victim has marks of torture on her head, face, arms, and other parts of her body.

Punjab Child Protection Bureau Chairperson Sarah Ahmed said that a case has been registered on the complaint of the bureau despite the refusal of the mother of the victim.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 24^th, 2023.