LAHORE: A deaf mute woman, who was allegedly raped on a Lahore-bound train near Samasatta (Bahawalpur) two days ago, had to undergo medical examination thrice.

‘S’, a mother of three, was travelling with her sister and brother-in-law to Lahore from Quetta by Akbar Bugti Express on Saturday night.

The woman told her relatives [through sign language] that she went to washroom where an unidentified man barged in and raped her.

Victim’s brother-in-law Ali Aqdus reported the matter to railway police and they checked all bogies of the train and arrested a man ‘K’, a sepoy in Punjab Regiment and posted in Chaman, Balochistan.

The Samasatta railway police later registered a rape case against the suspect on the complaint of victim’s brother-in-law.

The complainant told Dawn that they were travelling from Quetta to Lahore when a man raped his sister-in-law in the washroom of the train.

He said his sister-in-law reported the matter to his wife and they raised an alarm [in the train] while adding the railway police reached there and inquired about the incident.

He said his sister-in-law narrated the incident by using sign language and also pointed to the man who was sleeping in other bogie near the washroom.

He said the police arrested the man and also registered a case but he did not understand why the police had his sister-in-law medically examined thrice.

He said first [medical] examination was carried out in Bahawal Victoria Hospital, second in Multan and again the officials called them to Lahore for third examination.

He alleged that the policemen were not cooperating with them and dealing [with them] like they were suspects.

Samasatta SHO Malik Iqbal told this reporter that the army personnel had contacted them and sought custody of the suspect for trial under military laws.

He said they had sent samples of the suspect for DNA test.

To a query, he said they would hand over the suspect to the respective authorities.

The SHO said he did not know why the authorities carried out three medical examinations.

He said the police registered the case and after medical examination allowed the family to continue with their journey.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2017