CHAKWAL: Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has pledged his government would leave no stone unturned in providing instant justice to the victims of sexual abuse unearthed in a seminary on Friday, where as many as fifteen students were allegedly assaulted by two teachers.

CM Naqvi, who visited one of the victims’ family on Sunday, said the suspects would face the maximum punishment for the heinous crime.

IGP Dr Usman Anwar, Rawalpindi Regional Police Officer Syed Khurram Ali, Commissioner Rawalpindi Division Liaquat Ali Chatha, DC Quratul Ain Malik and DPO retired captain Wahid Mehmood accompanied the CM.

“The parents and children are in trauma. I have directed the commissioner to take care of the education of the victims,” the CM said while talking to journalists.

He said task has been given to the IGP and the prosecution secretary to ensure that perpetrators of the horrific crime were punished as soon as possible.

“We are ashamed over this incident, but at the same time, it would be unfair to blame all seminaries. Reforms should be made to address this issue,” he said and maintained that his government would do what it could in this regard.

The district administration sealed the seminary on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Chakwal Police obtained four days’ physical remand of two teachers. DPO Mehmood has constituted a team to investigate the incident.

On Friday, a man along with his ten-year-old son visited the DPO and informed him that his son and some other students were being subjected to sexual assault at the seminary by two teachers. The DPO, along with a police team, rushed to the scene. Fifteen students complained they were assaulted.

“Fifteen students were brought to the hospital for medical examination. All of them carried knife and bite marks on their bodies,” Dr Mohammad Haleem, the media coordinator of District Headquarters Hospital, told Dawn.

He said parents of nine victims had refused to proceed with the medical examination despite the fact that their children had complained of assault and knife and bite marks were also found on their bodies.

DPO Mehmood told Dawn that a team of Punjab Forensic Science Agency visited the crime scene and collected DNA samples.

“We have also recovered a knife that suspects used to inflict cut marks on the bodies of students.” According to the FIR, the suspects wrote ‘Z’ on the victims’ bodies.

The DPO said that the management of the seminary was informed a month ago about the abuse.

“Instead of reporting the matter to police, the management settled it on its own by expelling the two suspects on November 11,” he said, adding that strict action would be taken against all those found involved in the offence.

When asked about the parents who had refused to pursue the case, the DPO said all the victims would be made part of the investigation.

“I have set up an investigating team headed by DSP Sajid Gondal, while I and SP operations are supervising the team,” he added.

Talking to Dawn, the father of a victim said he had got admitted his son to the seminary because the boy aspired to become a famous Naat Khawan.

“I went to visit my ten-year-old son at the seminary after two weeks on Friday, carrying fruits for him. As I tried to hand over the fruits, he clung to me and started crying,” the heartbroken man told Dawn.

“When I inquired, my son revealed he was being sexually assaulted by two teachers. More students gathered and they also made the similar complaint,” he added.

He informed his elder brother, and they went to the DPO and told him about the matter.

According to the FIR, both the suspects had threatened the victims of dire consequences if they dared to disclose the issue.

“Had my son not told me, this heinous crime would never have come to the light,” the father said.

The management of the seminary, while talking to the media on Saturday, said it would cooperate with the police.

“We are standing with the children and their parents,” the manager of the seminary said.

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2023