DIG South summons assaulted family, attackers in viral video case of Karachi's Defence

Aggrieved family skips visit, moves SHC for reprieve in 'fabricated' case

The case involving the alleged assault of a woman by another woman in the presence of police personnel in Defence’s Khayaban-e-Bukhari on Monday reached the office of the South deputy inspector general (DIG) of police with senior officers summoning the policemen seen in CCTV footage as well as the two women involved in the incident.

Two days ago, a video showing two women fighting while police personnel were present at the Khayaban-e-Bukhari flat had gone viral on social media. A case was registered at Darakhshan Police Station in connection with the incident.

On the instructions of the additional inspector general (AIG), the police personnel identified in the CCTV footage and both women were summoned to the DIG South’s office today to record their statements.

DIG South Asad Raza said at around 5:30pm that the aggrieved family had yet to appear before him to record their statements.

According to police sources, the officers who arrived at the scene with the family accused of carrying out the assault belonged to Korangi District Police. Both were posted at Korangi Police Station.

Their statements had already been recorded at Korangi Police Station a day earlier.

The policemen seen coming upstairs in the CCTV footage were personnel of Madadgar 15.

Read: DIG South orders inquiry into viral video of women fighting in Karachi's Defence

Sources said the man wearing a white shalwar kameez who was seen damaging the security camera with a weapon was also a police constable.

Meanwhile, the policemen seen dragging a man and placing him in a police vehicle took him to Darakhshan Police Station. 

Police personnel had reached the building after receiving information about an altercation through Madadgar 15. Darakhshan Police and Madadgar 15 subsequently took action at the scene.

The Darakhshan police maintained that the man was dragged to the vehicle because he had resisted the officers.

Aggrieved family moves Sindh High Court

Meanwhile, the affected woman and her brother filed a petition in the Sindh High Court against the police and the woman accused of assaulting her.

The petition, filed through Advocate Muhammad Arif, seeks the quashing of the case registered against the aggrieved family at Darakhshan Police Station on the assaulting woman’s complaint.

The victim described the case as false, fabricated and unlawful.

In her petition, she alleged that aggression had been committed against her and her family and claimed that a case was subsequently registered against them under the influence of powerful individuals.

The respondents named in the petition include the assaulting woman, the station house officer of Darakhshan Police Station, the investigating officer, the senior superintendent of police (investigation) and the Sindh government.

The affected woman has since been granted bail in the case. She has also left the flat where the incident occurred and moved to another location.

The incident took place 11 days ago in a building on Khayaban-e-Bukhari. CCTV footage of the incident subsequently emerged, showing a woman allegedly assaulting another woman with an exercise dumbbell. The footage also showed a plain-clothed police officer allegedly damaging a security camera during the incident.

Following the incident, Darakhshan police arrested the affected woman and her brother and registered a case against them.

The incident also brought the name of SSP Korangi Fida Janwari into focus. Reports suggested that the woman accused of assaulting the victim was a close relative of the police officer. Janwari, however, denied the allegation.

The Express Tribune contacted Janwari to ask why personnel from Korangi District Police had gone to Defence to take action in the matter. Despite several phone calls, he did not respond.