Special Branch chief, Kasur DPO removed
LAHORE/KASUR: As the demand for punishing the suspects involved in the ghastly child abuse scandal intensified, the Punjab government removed on Tuesday the chief of the provincial intelligence agency from his post for failing to keep the chief minister informed about the incident.
The government also removed the Kasur police chief and two DSPs and constituted a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe the scandal.
The officers were transferred to ensure transparency in the ongoing investigations into seven cases lodged on complaints of the victims’ families.
JIT constituted to probe child abuse scandal; police obtain 28-day remand of five suspects
Some accounts put the number of children molested and filmed at 284 by a gang that also blackmailed parents of the victims and extorted money from them. Police have so far arrested 14 suspects and obtained their physical remand from an anti-terrorism court.
A spokesman for the Punjab government said in a press release that Special Branch’s Additional IG Dr Arif Mushtaq had been removed for having failed to report the incident to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in time. DPO Rai Babar Saeed was transferred to ensure transparency in the investigation.
DSP City Kasur Hassan Farooq and DSP Special Branch Kasur Asghar Dogar have been made OSD (officer on special duty) for showing negligence in their duty.
The spokesman said the chief minister was personally monitoring the investigation into the Kasur incident.
“I want to reiterate that we will not let anyone involved in this incident escape the law and justice. All victims and their families will be provided every possible assistance to identify culprits without any fear,” the chief minister said in a message texted to people on their mobile numbers on Tuesday evening.
The five-member JIT, headed by Deputy Commandant of Punjab Constabulary DIG Abubakar Khuda Bakhsh, comprises two officials from intelligence agencies and SSP Khalid Bashir Cheema and DSP Liaqat Ali. It will submit its report to the government in 14 days.
The spokesman said the JIT would carry out investigation in Kasur’s Husain Khanwala village, where the crimes were committed so that everyone had access to it.
The government has included sections of the Anti-Terrorism ACT in the FIRs already registered against the suspects.
Meanwhile, Punjab IG Mushtaq Sukhera visited the village to assure people that investigation was being carried out without any discrimination and influence. But he had to face harsh reaction from the victims’ families.
As the IG stepped off his vehicle he was besieged by angry villagers who raised slogans against police. While they raised their shoes as a mark of protest, someone from the mob hurled one at the IG, but it hit a police officer accompanying him.
The villagers demanded action against the former SHO of Ganda Singhwala, alleging that he had been protecting the accused.
IG Sukhera told reporters that the scandal was a failure of local police. He claimed that police are under nobody’s influence.
Sources said the chief minister had cancelled his visit to the Husain Khanwala village after reports that the villagers were violent. The CM wanted the victims’ families to meet him in Kasur city, but the villagers wanted him to visit the village.
REMAND: The anti-terrorism court remanded on Tuesday five suspects in the child abuse case in police custody for 28 days.
Ganda Singhwala police produced the suspects – Mohammad Yahiya, Waseem Abid, Aleem Asif, Saleem Akhtar Sherazi and Attiqur Rehman – before the court under strict security arrangements.
The investigating officer argued that physical remand of the suspects was required for interrogation and collection of evidence.
The court accepted the request and gave police 28 days’ physical remand of the suspects.
On Monday, a district and sessions judge in Kasur had cancelled bails of the suspects. After the inclusion of Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act in the FIRs, the case was shifted to the ATC Lahore.
Meanwhile, more complaints started pouring in, including one by a woman, with people claiming that they were abused but not filmed.
But police denied receiving any fresh complaint.
Village Lumbardar Saifullah told Dawn that the scandal was genuine but the number of victims and the amount of money extorted was exaggerated. He said the victims’ earnings were no match for the staggering amounts that they claim to have paid to the criminals.
“It seems that the victims are waiting for the chief minister to announce compensation,” he added.
Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2015
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