CHINIOT: Mother of a mentally-challenged girl has alleged her young daughter was raped for six months by a landlord, resulting in pregnancy, while the police were not arresting the suspect despite registration of a case against him.

The complainant, Manzooran Bibi, mother of the girl, said she worked as a house maid in Islamabad, while his husband Ghulam Farid was a farm worker at the lands of the suspect, a resident of Chak 14-JB.

She said as her entire family worked in the fields and she was also away, her 18-year-old mentally-challenged daughter would remain alone at the servant quarters given to them by the suspect landlord.

According to the first information report (FIR) lodged by Manzooran Bibi on Oct 27, the suspect had been raping her mentally-challenged daughter for some six months.

Her mother alleges police siding with the suspect

She said when she returned from Islamabad on a leave, she was shocked to know through an ultrasound report that her daughter had become pregnant.

On inquiry, the girl told her mother about her alleged rape by the landlord.

The matter was reported to Chiniot Sadar police, which in the light of a medico-legal report issued by the doctors at the district headquarters hospital, lodged an FIR under sections 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) against the suspect and a co-suspect woman, Meena Bibi, for being an accomplice in the crime.

Manzooran Bibi says that despite passage of around a fortnight, the police had neither started investigation nor arrested the suspects.

She alleged police were siding with the influential prime suspect who was hurling life threats at her and other family members for pursuing the case.

The complainant and her family also staged a protest demonstration against police inaction and demanded Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and Punjab police inspector general to ensure justice was done in the case, besides seeking protection against the threats being hurled at them.

Meanwhile, police spokesperson Mohsin Hassan said a case had been registered against the suspects and claimed that a woman police officer was investigating the case.

He said the DNA samples had been sent to lab and a report was awaited for further action.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2021