Horrific violation: Action recommended against jail ASI over rape case

Rape survivor’s complaint lodged after 20 days of crime.

PESHAWAR: An enquiry committee has recommended strong action against the Central Prison Peshawar Assistant Superintendent Ajmal Khan in the juvenile prisoner’s rape case.

Action has also been recommended against other employees, including Arif and Syar, on the grounds that over 30 complaints were lodged against them in the past few years. The employees have allegedly been taking money to facilitate rape of juveniles by inmates.

Juvenile inmate Qamar* had approached the court to register an FIR against ASI Ajmal Khan and others. They were accused of taking a bribe of Rs6,000 from an adult prisoner identified as prisoner 75. The employees then took Qamar to the adult barracks for the night where the boy was gang raped.

The jail administration, however, was able to delay the lodging of an official complaint. However, an FIR was finally registered on court orders after over 20 days of the horrific crime. Due to the delay, the rape itself could not be proven on medical grounds, but the case is in court.

An enquiry committee was formed which has forwarded its recommendation to the IGP prisons, calling for strict action against the accused.

After the FIR was registered, the accused said Qamar was not a juvenile, in an attempt to subvert the issue. They said he was a hardened criminal who had been abandoned by his family, which was why he could not get bail.

*name changed to protect identity

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2015.