Outrage after alleged assault attempt on 8-year-old

Angry protesters block road; police arrest suspect

KARACHI:

An eight-year-old schoolgirl was allegedly subjected to an attempted sexual assault at a public primary school in Soldier Bazaar on Thursday, triggering a protest outside the local police station and the arrest of the suspect.

The suspect, identified as Shehryar, is the son of the school's watchman, police said. A case has been registered against him on the complaint of the girl's father, Muhammad Ibrahim, and further investigation is under way.

According to police, the Class-II student was allegedly targeted at the Government Girls and Boys Primary School Soldier Bazaar No 2. The girl managed to flee the school and reached home, where she informed her family about the alleged incident.

Her family subsequently went to the school, where an altercation broke out and some property was allegedly damaged. Local residents also gathered at the scene and reportedly caught the school watchman, Ibrahim, and his son, subjecting them to violence before handing the suspect over to police.

The family later staged a protest outside the Soldier Bazaar police station. Demonstrators burned tyres and blocked the road to traffic, demanding action against the suspect.