GUJAR KHAN: The parents of minors, who allegedly suffered sexual assault at the hands of a seminary teacher in Jhelum district, on Sunday requested an additional sessions judge to exempt their children from medical examination.

While granting the request, it was ordered that the children’s belongings and clothing will be forensically tested, according to SHO Dina Sub-Inspector Ehsan Shah.

SHO Shah also said that three victims of assault and seven victims of attempted abuse had recorded their statements under Section 161 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

Dina police had registered a case of sexual assault against a seminary teacher, who was accused by a parent of one of his students of abusing his son and two other pupils.

The victim’s father had approached police to register a case on Friday night.

Police say accused seminary teacher will be taken for DNA screening today

According to his account, his 14-year-old son had been attending Jamia Dar-ul-Quran seminary for seven years and was memorizing the Holy Quran under the tutelage of the accused teacher.

The complainant reported that his son experienced a distressing incident of sexual assault within a room connected to the seminary.

According to the first information report (FIR), it was alleged that the cleric had also assaulted two other students on multiple occasions, even during the holy month of Ramazan.

The students involved are said to be aged between 11 and 19.

Following the complaint, Dina arrested the accused and registered a case under sections 376 (iii) and 377-B of the Pakistan Penal Code.

SHO Shah told Dawn that the case had been taken up by the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of police and samples had been collected by the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA).

He said that the accused would be taken to PFSA in Lahore on Monday for DNA screening and the results would be tallied with the forensic reports of the belongings gathered from the room where the crime was allegedly committed.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2024