Cleric held on charge of molesting student in Rawalpindi
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RAWALPINDI: A cleric has been arrested on the charge of sexually molesting a madressah student in Dhamial area of Saddar Bairooni police on Friday.
The arrest was made on the basis of a medical examination of the 12-year-old student.
Police said after the incident was brought to the notice of CPO Mohammad Faisal Rana, he directed SP Saddar Rai Mazhar Iqbal to take action against the suspect after conducting a medical examination of the child.
After the police swung into action, the suspect along with other people tried to prove himself innocent and shouted anti-police slogans.
After medical examination proved that the child had been abused, the suspect was taken into custody.
However, the police have decided to conduct a DNA test.
A case was registered with the police on the complaint of the victim’s father.
SP Iqbal said: “All measures will be taken to investigate the case on merit, including conducting a DNA test and other legal formalities.”
The CPO directed the SP to probe whether the cleric had also molested any other child and if any such report comes to surface, separate FIR may be registered for each crime.
If the family does not want to become a complainant due to social pressure, police will be the complainant in the FIR, the CPO added.
Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2019
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Comments (34) Closed
Sep 21, 2019 10:40am
Why is the public so afraid to talk against these so called Clerics.?
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Sep 21, 2019 11:07am
When you talk about madressah reforms, when you talk about these pseudo mullahs, religion is brought between mullahs and their secretive crimes. They use religion as a shield to hide their vicious activities. Where, it is due to the weak institutions of the state.
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Sep 21, 2019 11:09am
@Zeba Farookhi, They have the backing of rabid religious parties, who can rabble rouse and claim blasphemy against the family of victims
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Sep 21, 2019 11:30am
hundreds of cases with maulanas go unreported
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Sep 21, 2019 11:32am
@Zeba Farookhi, Same is quite true in India also.
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Sep 21, 2019 11:46am
Stop sending your children to these Criminal Clerks..
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Sep 21, 2019 11:49am
What a shame that clerics are involved in such shameful and sinister acts .
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Sep 21, 2019 12:19pm
Children are not safe in the country as a whole, especially in Punjab.
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Sep 21, 2019 12:20pm
@Zeba Farookhi, because next day they will issue fatwa against you if you speak against them.
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Sep 21, 2019 12:39pm
Public is afraid to come forward. The state should prosecute these criminals with DNA results & send a clear message. If the allegations are proven true this child will live rest of his life with this, not this innocent's fault.
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Sep 21, 2019 01:00pm
It is time to open up and get out of our social custom where we fail to admit heinous crime happening in our daily life.The west has put effective law in action thus substantial decrease in crimes against children.
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Sep 21, 2019 01:11pm
another molvi why am i not surprised
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Sep 21, 2019 01:32pm
What a gruesome and grave tragedy? Are we still living in the "dark ages?"
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Sep 21, 2019 01:54pm
DNA test in such case ? Then 3 witnesses ?
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Sep 21, 2019 02:19pm
Now is the time .. entire country must come on roads and join hands together. This is the most henious, most deplorable and extremely brutal act of crime against humanity. Culprit must get exemplary punishment publically and make him an example so that no one dare to commit such crime.
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Sep 21, 2019 02:28pm
@Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad, there is a name for it
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Sep 21, 2019 02:35pm
Please let us get draconian laws to deal with this menace. Such cases should be decided swiftly and the culprits punished immediately.
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Sep 21, 2019 02:36pm
@Zeba Farookhi,
"Why is the public so afraid to talk against these so called Clerics.?"
The Clerics are Powerful People connected to Powerful Politicians..
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Sep 21, 2019 02:47pm
This time, a good police work.
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Sep 21, 2019 03:35pm
Take action and prove supremacy of law.
Law is higher than any other thing
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Sep 21, 2019 03:52pm
ironic. Mullahs are supposed to teach good spiritual things and not the other way round.
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Sep 21, 2019 03:59pm
Large percentage of girls who get home tuition my clerics are molested and being kids are too scared to talk of it. Even when these little once complain to parents, parents don’t talk due to scare of society
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Sep 21, 2019 04:09pm
Buggary is a heinous crime against an underage child. No punishment meted out to the cleric will erase the indelible harm done to the child's psyche. He will need professional psychiatric support that is not readily available.
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Sep 21, 2019 04:40pm
To control and combat this behaviour:
1) introduce Protecting Vulnerable Groups scheme - so people applying for jobs working with children, disabled people and the old are checked our before appointment
2) introduce a sex register so that anyone committing an offence is placed on this
3) implement governance structure so all schools and medressahs are over seen by a neutral responsible group of citizens and professionals.
Tinkering here and there isn't the answer. The nation requires better education, knowledge and take ownership.
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Sep 21, 2019 04:53pm
@Zeba Farookhi, the public is scared to talk about sexual abuse, irrespective as to who the perpetrator maybe or under what garbs he may be hiding under.
There is a need to get society to talk about these issues and for government both at local level as well national level to bring in practical ways to safeguard children, only recently there was the case of three children sexually abused and murdered. Again this comes back to having a professional police and judiciary, when culprits know they can pay off the police and judiciary then what trust can the public have in reporting such despicable crimes. this is not an issue of a madrassahs as some are using as a pretext to attack religious schools, rather it is one of child safety irrespective of where they are.
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Sep 21, 2019 04:58pm
Right decision by police to investigate fully and then charge.
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Sep 21, 2019 05:14pm
Abusive clerics and teachers have no place in society. It's an abhorring act and crime against children.
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Sep 21, 2019 05:19pm
@REALITY CHECK ,
That is modern technique.
Better than medivial method of witness. Anything invoving human being is always misused.
Hope result presented is not tempered bcz of ploitical and religious pressure.
In subcontinent less than 10 pc is reported and much less is convicted. Even if small prct od cases are convicted such crimes will reduce.fear of law is must for reducing social evils
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Sep 21, 2019 05:45pm
I thought that was only catholic priests sphere of expertise.
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Sep 21, 2019 05:55pm
@Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad, you seem to have some doubts about it?
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Sep 21, 2019 06:14pm
Harsher than the presently prescribed punishments are needed to tackle this child molestation, abuse and killings.
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Sep 21, 2019 07:10pm
@Hasmukh dave, --Mullah's fatwa is a loaded gun.
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Sep 21, 2019 07:57pm
@Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad, - get some more ideas from your vast experience and vocabulary to write vibrant comment.
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Sep 21, 2019 09:57pm
@Zeba Farookhi, my question too.
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