KARACHI: Violence erupts in Ramaswami area:Cops gang-rape two sisters
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 2: Tension prevailed in the entire Ramaswami area on Tuesday and all kinds of commercial activity remained suspended in the locality in protest against the gang-rape of two sisters by a group of serving policemen.
Shops and markets remained closed throughout the day as the angry area residents accused the police department of trying to cover-up the gory incident by deliberately trying to delay the registration of the FIR.
Enraged mobs took to the streets and burned bonfires and disrupted traffic by pelting stones on the police late on Tuesday night. They were protesting against the gang-rape of the two sisters by policemen in the Ramaswami area. A 60-year-old cyclist identified as Ismail, who was passing through the area, was injured when he was hit on the head by a tear-gas shell. He was taken to the Civil Hospital for treatment.
The police resorted to tear-gas shelling to disperse the protesters, who thought the police were trying to protect the accused cops.
Firing was also reported from the area. However, no one was reported injured.
A spokesman for the fire brigade told Dawn that a police mobile escorting their fire-tender into the affected area escaped when protesters threw stones at them. Consequently, the fire-tender returned to the station, fearing damage to the vehicle.
The area had remained closed throughout the day as the residents expressed sympathy with the victims.
Five policemen gang-raped two sisters on Sunday night after entering their house in Ramaswami in the limits of Nabi Buksh police station and later escaped.
The victim’s father and brother were asleep on the ground floor of the house when the policemen barged into the house.
The policemen tied both the male members of the family with ropes before molesting the two sisters on the first floor of the house, police said.
Later, the police blatantly refused to register the case when the victims’ father, who owns a small cycle repair shop in the area, went to the Nabi Buksh police station to lodge an FIR on Monday morning.
After being turned down by the concerned officials of the police station, the father approached the TPO Saddar, on Monday night, following the advice of his neighbours.
Later, the TPO Saddar issued suspension orders of the concerned SHO and ordered immediate registration of the FIR against the policemen.
The victims’ medical examination was also performed at the Civil Hospital on Monday night.
Forensic evidence including clothing of the victims and suspects have also been sent for examination, police said.
Meanwhile, the police, on Tuesday, arrested the third suspect Asmatullah, a constable, in connection with the gang-rape case. The accused was arrested during a raid at his house from South police lines.
Earlier, two police officials also accused of taking part in the gang-rape were arrested by the police in the early hours of Tuesday. They were identified as constables Malik Safeer and # Kashif, police added.
The two other absconding suspects have been identified as Malik Hasnat s/o Inspector Malik Awan and the ringleader of the gang, while another is Malik Qamar, constable, in CIA South, DSP Ajaz Hashmi said.
A case, 58/2002, has been registered under Zina-Hudood Ordinance, Section 10/4, at the Nabi Bux police station, on the orders of the Saddar Town police.
The CCPO, Asad Jehangir, strongly termed these policemen as the black sheep of the entire police force and promised that they would be strictly dealt with in accordance with the law. He also revealed that they were part of the criminal gang living in the South police lines.
“The suspects would immediately be dismissed from the force following their arrest, as we cannot afford criminals in our force,” the CCPO added.
