SAHIWAL: Arifwala city police booked four youths who publicly humiliated a boy by blackening his face with ink and making him ride a motorcycle rickshaw for a round in the streets to shame him.

The police took action against the suspects after a footage of the incident was uploaded on social media.

On the complaint of victim Muhammad Zargham, a resident of Mohalla Shamsabad, police booked Zakir, Tahir, Sheharyar and Chand under sections 365, 355, 337 1 (2), 292-C and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

The victim told police that he was publicly humiliated by the suspects over alleged theft of a pigeon two days back.

He said the suspects kidnapped him and took him to a deserted place near the railway station where they subjected him to torture, tore his shirt and blackened his face with ink. Later, the suspects hired a motorcycle rickshaw and forcibly took him on a round of the streets in Shamsabad locality.

Fahid Hussain, an eyewitness, told the police that he tried to rescue the victim but he was threatened with dire consequences by the suspects.

The victim said he was subjected to humiliation in the public for around two hours by the suspects who also filmed the whole episode and uploaded the clip on social media.

Pakpattan District Police Officer Mariya Mahmood took notice of the incident and said no one would be allowed to humiliate others.

Police claimed they were conducting raids at different places to arrest the suspects.

BOOKED: Kasowal police booked 127 people, 100 of them unidentified, for protesting against “animal theft”, creating disturbance in public life, chanting slogans against police and blocking Lahore-Multan Motorway for two hours on Monday.

The case against 127 people was registered under 341, 148/149 and 16 MPO.

More than 100 residents of three villages – 114/12-L, 115/12-L and 116/12-L – had blocked the Motorway and disrupted the traffic on its both sides by placing trunks of trees in protest against frequent incidents of cattle theft.

The protesters blamed an organised gang of thieves for depriving the residents of the three villages of their cattle.

They also accused Kasowal police of inaction, adding that no headway had been made in the investigation of a case (FIR 66/19) registered on Feb 10, 2019.

The protesters had ended the agitation after investigation officer of the case, Azeem Khan, gave an assurance to them that the gang would be busted within 24 hours and the cattle thieves be arrested.

Those booked for staging the protest include Zohaib Anwar, Syed Zahid Abbas, Iftikhar, Samiullah, Nawaz, Sajid, Nafees, Jaffar Saqlain, and Mirza Riaz, who are said to be residents of the three villages.

As many as 100 unknown persons were also booked on the complaint of a sub-inspector of the Kasowal police station.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2019