Punjab CM directs police chief to submit final report on woman's assault near Minar-i-Pakistan today
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Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Thursday directed Inspector General of Police (IGP) Inam Ghani to submit a final report on Friday (today) on the assault and harassment of a female TikToker and her companions at the city's Greater Iqbal Park on Independence Day.
The IGP presented an initial report to the chief minister during a high-level meeting at the headquarters of the Punjab Safe Cities Authority which reviewed the progress made in the investigation so far.
The chief minister also summoned a meeting tomorrow in connection with the case. On his instructions, a committee was formed to investigate the role of the Parks & Horticulture Authority (PHA) and look into the responsibility and negligence of PHA officials during the incident and submit a report in this regard.
Terming it a "test case", Buzdar said it should be brought to its logical conclusion at the earliest.
He said the provincial government would ensure dispensation of justice to the victim, adding that those involved in the incident did not deserve any leniency.
He also directed the officials to carry out the investigation in a modern and scientific manner.
During the meeting, IGP Ghani informed the chief minister about the arrests and efforts made to trace the identities of those involved in the incident.
He said the process of identification of suspects by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) was underway with the help of videos, adding that some suspects had already been arrested.
A day earlier, the IGP formed a three-member committee, comprising the additional IGP and managing director of Punjab Safe Cities Authority, DIG internal accountability branch and AIG (logistics), to investigate the incident.
According to the terms of reference (ToRs), the committee will look into three questions:
- What was the security deployment at the Greater Iqbal Park in view of the large gathering for Independence Day celebrations?
- What was the nature and quality of the police response when the incident was happening?
- What was the cause of or the justification for delay in the registration of a first information report (FIR)?
The three-member committee will "fix responsibility for any laxity, oversight, commission or omission" by the Lahore police while the incident was happening and afterwards, according to a copy of the order issued by the IGP's office.
FIR registered against hundreds
On Tuesday, the Lorry Adda police had registered a case against nearly 400 suspects for harassing and assaulting the woman at Azadi Flyover.
The incident occurred on August 14 when hundreds of youngsters were celebrating Independence Day at the park. Police moved into action on Tuesday after videos of the episode went viral and sparked an outrage on social media.
Editorial: The trauma and anger among Pakistani women after the mob assault near Minar-i-Pakistan is palpable
In a statement on Wednesday, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ghulam Mahmood Dogar said the suspects were being identified through videos of the incident shared on social media, and that a number of photos and videos had been sent to Nadra to ascertain their identities.
CCPO Dogar ordered police to arrest the suspects visible in the video clips and said the culprits would be "traced soon", according to the statement.
"Those who misbehaved with the girl will be dealt with strictly," he was quoted as saying.
Footage was being acquired from Safe City cameras, DHA and TikTok clips, a police official who asked not to be named because the investigation is ongoing told Dawn.com.
Azhar Mashwani, Punjab chief minister's focal person for digital media, on Wednesday said that "strong and non-bailable clauses" had been added to the FIR.
He added that the chief minister had ordered police to arrest all the culprits "ASAP".
According to the FIR of the incident, the complainant stated that she, along with six companions, was filming a video near Minar-i-Pakistan on Independence Day when around 300 to 400 people "attacked us".
She said that she and her companions made a lot of effort to escape from the crowd. Observing the situation, the park's security guard opened the gate to the enclosure around Minar-i-Pakistan, the FIR quoted her as saying.
"However, the crowd was huge and people were scaling the enclosure and coming towards us. People were pushing and pulling me to the extent that they tore my clothes. Several people tried to help me but the crowd was too huge and they kept throwing me in the air," she said.
She further stated that her companions were also assaulted. During the struggle, her ring and earrings were "forcibly taken", in addition to a mobile phone of one of her companions, his identity card and Rs15,000 that he had on his person.
"The unidentified persons assaulted us violently," the complainant added.
