Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari on Friday informed that 24 suspects had been taken into custody for harassing and assaulting a female TikToker, as well as her companions, after being tracked down through geo-fencing and cross-checking the National Database and Registration Authority database.
The above was stated on the micro-blogging site, Twitter, wherein the minister also mentioned that more arrests were expected to take place. She further stated that the negligence of officers during the incident itself was being investigated.
Soon thereafter, following a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and other senior officials, the provincial police chief said senior police officers had been suspended for negligence and delayed response in dealing with the incident.
“We have suspended SHO and SDPO whereas Divisional SP, SSP Operations and DIG Operations Lahore have been removed from their posts,” Inspector General Inam Ghani wrote on Twitter.
Ghani said “strict departmental action will be taken once inquiry committee submits its detailed report on the role and response of other officers.”
Meanwhile, a Dolphin Squad officer Zaman Qureshi – who saved female TikToker from the mob – narrated that how he reached Minar-e-Pakistan and saved a woman being harassed and attacked by people on Independence Day.
Speaking to the media, Zaman Qureshi explained how he immediately went to the crime scene after being informed about the incident.
Dolphin police squad cop said that he along with his other on-duty police cops immediately arrived at Minar-e-Pakistan but it took them 30 minutes to reach the crime spot from the Minar-e-Pakistan entrance gate due to the rush of people.
“When I reached Minar-e-Pakistan, the woman was unconscious and her clothes were torn apart,” he recounted.
In what has been billed as an abhorrent act of violence against women, a huge crowd of men attacked and looted a woman at the Minar-e-Pakistan.
The incident occurred on August 14 when people were celebrating Independence Day at Lahore’s Greater Iqbal Park.
Talking to the reporter, the victim woman narrated the terrible ordeal she had been through.
“People yanked my earrings, hurting my ears. They jostled and threw me into the air as if I were a toy or have come from some other world and snatched my bracelet, purse, mobile phones and everything I had that day,” she recounted.
When the reporter asked her whether the police or security guards were present at the park at the time of the incident, the victim wasn’t sure about their presence. “Police may have come and ignored [her ordeal] or they may have not been able to notice it given a huge crowd of people present there”, she said.
Police registered a case against 400 suspects after videos of the incident went viral on social media and some suspects have been arrested in the case.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Imran Khan had directed the Punjab inspector general of police to investigate the matter, Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari stated on Twitter, adding that the PM personally spoke to the Punjab IG on both the manhandling of the woman and the vandalisation of Ranjit Singh’s statute at Lahore Fort.
“Police is catching all culprits involved in manhandling of female Tiktoker in Lahore and those damaging statue of Ranjit Singh at Lahore Fort,” Bukhari tweeted.
The senior PTI leader said that these are gross violations of laws and social norms and the government won’t spare a single person involved in these crimes.
Meanwhile, Punjab government spokesman Fayyazul Hassan Chohan Wednesday condemned the Minar-e-Pakistan incident where a woman was assaulted by a mob and said the culprits are being identified through video footage.
“The incident of assault on a woman in Greater Iqbal Park is a shameful act which has brought shame to the society,” Fayyaz Chohan said in a statement today.
He said that the accused involved in the video are being identified and will be brought to justice.
On August 18, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto slammed the incident and asked the government to bring those responsible to the book.
“The assault of a young woman by a mob at #minarepakistan should shame every Pakistani. It speaks to a rot in our society,” the PPP leader said.
He said that those responsible must be brought to justice.
“The women of Pakistan feel insecure and it is all our responsibility to ensure safety and equal rights to all,” he added.
While talking to the media at the time, DIG Investigations Shariq Jamal Khan said the police were taking the case as a challenge and promised to take it to the logical end.
The police officer said the investigations were underway after the case was filed. “We have the videos and the experts are analyzing as it is a technical process to ascertain who was doing what.”
Shariq Jamal said the case is very strong and that they have also recorded the statement of the victim.
with additional input from INP
