Lahore police station rape: 78 cops' heads roll
More than 70 police personnel, including the station house officer (SHO), were suspended and an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) was remanded into police custody for four days on Tuesday after being arrested on allegations of raping a young woman inside Lahore's Ghaziabad police station.
Police said 78 personnel, including two sub-inspectors, eight ASIs and other officials, had been suspended, while a high-level investigation and forensic examination were under way.
The alleged survivor, described in the FIR as a mentally impaired woman aged around 19 to 20, was medically examined and police are awaiting the report, Senior Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Naveed Qureshi said.
He confirmed that preliminary findings suggested the alleged assault took place inside the police station, while the Punjab Forensic Science Agency had collected evidence from the scene to assist the investigation.
The case was registered at Ghaziabad police station under Section 376 (rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 155-C of the Police Order, 2002, relating to police misconduct. The accused ASI was arrested after the FIR was lodged on the complaint of the woman's father and has now been placed on four-day physical remand for further interrogation.
According to the FIR, the woman left her home at around 1pm on Sunday and failed to return for several hours, prompting her family to begin searching for her. A man, identified as Faisal Yousaf, allegedly informed the family that a policeman dressed in civilian clothes had taken her away.
The complainant told police that when the family reached Ghaziabad police station at around 9pm, they received a phone call informing them that the woman had returned home.
According to the FIR, she was crying when they reached the house and told her family that a police official had taken her away on a motorcycle before raping her.
SSP Investigation Naveed Qureshi said investigators had learned that the woman allegedly begged for a living, although that aspect was still being investigated. He confirmed that the Punjab Forensic Science Agency had collected evidence from inside the police station.
"The ASI brought the girl to the police station without any reason, which itself amounts to misconduct," Qureshi said, acknowledging that the woman was neither an accused nor wanted in any criminal case and therefore should never have been brought to the police station.
He added that, so far, there was no evidence suggesting the involvement of any other police official in the alleged assault.
Following the incident, Lahore Police suspended the entire staff of Ghaziabad police station, including the station house officer (SHO), the duty officer (moharrar), drivers and other officials. Ali Zaib Dastgir has been posted as the new SHO.
In a statement, Lahore Police said the suspended officials included two sub-inspectors, eight assistant sub-inspectors and other police personnel, bringing the total number of suspended officials to 78.
Lahore DIG (Operations) Faisal Kamran said maintaining discipline and ensuring a secure environment inside a police station was the collective responsibility of every officer, particularly the SHO.
"Negligence in supervision or irresponsible conduct will not be tolerated under any circumstances, and there will be no compromise on professional discipline," he said.
The DIG added that accountability was being enforced at the police station level to promote a responsible and public-friendly policing culture.
Separately, Punjab Prosecutor General Irfan Sadiq Tarar took notice of the case, declaring it a high-profile matter and directing investigators to conduct a transparent, impartial and merit-based investigation.
According to an official statement, Tarar has summoned the investigating officer to his office on Thursday along with the complete case record to review the progress of the investigation.
He directed investigators to complete every stage of the probe strictly in accordance with the law, warning that any negligence or delay would not be tolerated.
The prosecutor general said ensuring legal protection and justice for the survivor remained the prosecution department's foremost priority, adding that crimes against women and children were intolerable and would be prosecuted effectively on the basis of strong evidence so that those responsible could be punished in accordance with the law.