Pain and grief: Hapless protesters call for judicial inquiry
Relatives of 11-year-old girl, who was burnt to death, block Jinnah Avenue.
Relatives of the deceased blocked Jinnah Avenue for all sorts of traffic and demanded of the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of the heinous murder. PHOTO: MYRA IQBAL/EXPRESS
Residents of Bhara Kahu area on Sunday staged a demonstration against the killing of an 11-year-old girl, who was allegedly sexually abused and then burnt before she was killed by her abductors.
The protesters included parents and relatives of Shehzadi, who placed her coffin on Jinnah Avenue and blocked it for all sorts of traffic and demanded of the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of the heinous murder.
“We want judicial inquiry into the matter and the culprits should be given exemplary punishment,” said Majid, an uncle of the deceased.
According to him, Shehzadi went missing on Wednesday after coming home from a tuition centre run by Mehek*. He said that they lodged a report with Bhara Kahu Police Station who started search for suspects immediately.
However, on Saturday, the Kohsar police found the dead body from the jurisdiction of Industrial Area, which had been burnt beyond recognition.
“We took the body to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences for autopsy and registered an FIR against unknown persons after informing all police stations,” said Sajjad, a police official.
The medico-legal officer Dr Nasreen said that the body was badly burnt due to which no sample could be collected to ascertain if the girl was sexually abused or not. “The culprits had sprinkled kerosene oil to set the body on fire,” she said.
She said that possibility of sexual abuse could not be ruled out. The family members of the deceased have nominated Shehzadi’s tutor Mehek and her father Qaiser Ali Chatta as suspects.
Mehboob Ali, SHO Bhara Kahu, said that all the nominated persons have been arrested. The protesters dispersed when SP Rizwan Gondal assured them that an investigation into the case has been initiated.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 18th, 2013.
The protesters included parents and relatives of Shehzadi, who placed her coffin on Jinnah Avenue and blocked it for all sorts of traffic and demanded of the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of the heinous murder.
“We want judicial inquiry into the matter and the culprits should be given exemplary punishment,” said Majid, an uncle of the deceased.
According to him, Shehzadi went missing on Wednesday after coming home from a tuition centre run by Mehek*. He said that they lodged a report with Bhara Kahu Police Station who started search for suspects immediately.
However, on Saturday, the Kohsar police found the dead body from the jurisdiction of Industrial Area, which had been burnt beyond recognition.
“We took the body to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences for autopsy and registered an FIR against unknown persons after informing all police stations,” said Sajjad, a police official.
The medico-legal officer Dr Nasreen said that the body was badly burnt due to which no sample could be collected to ascertain if the girl was sexually abused or not. “The culprits had sprinkled kerosene oil to set the body on fire,” she said.
She said that possibility of sexual abuse could not be ruled out. The family members of the deceased have nominated Shehzadi’s tutor Mehek and her father Qaiser Ali Chatta as suspects.
Mehboob Ali, SHO Bhara Kahu, said that all the nominated persons have been arrested. The protesters dispersed when SP Rizwan Gondal assured them that an investigation into the case has been initiated.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 18th, 2013.