KARACHI, Jan 10: The maid, who had been raped and later brought to civil hospital with 98 per cent burn wounds on Sunday, stated in her statement on Monday that she was set on fire by her employer's son.
City police chief Tariq Jamil told Dawn that the police have registered another case against Yaseen Bawani for setting the girl on fire and arrested him for investigation. Yaseen is the son of an electronics dealer, Mohammad Ali Bawani.
The police have asked the medico-legal officers to conduct medical examination to ascertain if the girl had been raped, Tariq Jamil said. He said that rights organizations were given access to the girl and transparent investigations are being carried out to award punishment to those responsible.
According to initial information provided by the police, Asiya, 16, was employed at a bungalow in CP Barar Society where Amanat, 20, another servant allegedly molested her.
She, in utter embarrassment and depression, burnt herself. The police registered a case against the girl for setting herself on fire and detained Amanat for investigation.
The police said that this information was based on a statement given by her immediately after her arrival at the civil hospital. However, the police sources said that Asiya did not record any statement on Sunday and the police put her thumb impression on an already prepared statement while she was unconscious.
After she gained her consciousness, she recorded her "dying declaration" before Dr Akram Shaikh which was legally approved and converted into an FIR. In her statement, she said Yaseen Bawani raped her on several occasions.
She said that Yaseen again tried to rape her on Sunday on which she slapped him in the face. Later he threatened to kill her. She complained about the incident to his parents.
Yaseen allegedly sent three masked men to the servant quarters, who took her to a bathroom and set her on fire. They locked the bathroom from outside and fled. However, her shrieks attracted another servant, Amanat, who brought her to the hospital.
The representatives of the Aurat Foundation also visited the hospital on Monday and released to the press an identical statement which they say was recorded in the presence of Dr Kaleem Butt. She told the Aurat Foundation that she had never given a statement earlier.
The foundation stated in a press release that Asiya's brother Jahangir sated that information about the incident was given very late. He also expressed ignorance about the registration of an FIR into the incident.
"We had sent our sister to the house of Yaseen Bawani after receiving one year salary in advance as maid", the foundation quoted Jahangir as saying. The foundation condemned the incident and demanded an action against those involved in taking a false statement.
