In a dramatic volte-face, former JUI-F leader and cleric Mufti Azizur Rehman on Monday denied sexually assaulting one of his students — contradicting his earlier confession allegedly made during the police interrogation — and told a judicial magistrate that the police were pressurising him to admit to the crime.

North Cantonment police had on June 17 registered the FIR on charges of sexual assault and criminal intimidation against Mufti Rehman on the complaint of a student of Jamia Manzoorul Islam, Lahore.

Police had arrested the cleric, accused of molesting his student, and his two sons in separate raids in Mianwali on June 20.

The police had later produced him before the local court and sought seven-day physical remand, which was approved by the magistrate.

At the time, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) investigations Shariq Jamal Khan had told Dawn.com, that the cleric had confessed he had made the student a target of his lust with the lure of passing him [in his exams]. The cleric had added that he was scared once the video went viral on social media and his sons had attempted to threaten the student and stop him from mentioning the incident to anyone, the DIG said.

On Monday, police produced Mufti Azizur Rehman before the judicial magistrate at a local court in Lahore to record his statement. He, however, redacted the earlier statement that was attributed to him by the police. He told the Judicial Magistrate Rana Rashid Ali that the seminary had conspired against him and the police were pressurising him for a confession.

After recording his statement, the magistrate sent the accused on judicial remand for 14 days. The court also sought a report from the police on the challan of the case at the next hearing.