BAHAWALPUR: The video of a gang rape of a private college student by the 12 suspects, including his class fellows, a month back has gone viral on social media due to alleged negligence of Baghdadul Jadid police.

One of the suspects was arrested, another had got pre-arrest bail while the main suspect had escaped. Police could not recover the video and the suspects kept issuing threats to the family of the victim, a first year student, to withdraw the case

Dawn learnt the case registered remained uninvestigated by police.

The victim and his family appeared before Regional Police Officer (RPO) Fayyaz Ahmed Dev to complain against the negligence of police.

RPO asked DPO Sohaib Shoaib to take action against the suspects and submit a report to him.

DPO’s PRO Asim Mustafa said the incident had taken place on Nov 8 and the FIR was lodged after three days.

According to the FIR, the suspects, including the victim’s class fellows (name withheld) took him to a residence at Kachi Basti Tibba Badar Shair on the pretext of lunch. Other students nominated in the case were also present there. They gang-raped the victim and made a video of the crime to blackmail him.

The PRO claimed police had already submitted challan of a suspect and another managed to seek bail before arrest from court while samples for the DNA tests had been dispatched. He said the DPO had formed a team to arrest the remaining suspects.

PROTEST: Traffic was thrown out of gear for over four hours at One-Unit Staff Colony Chowk as residents of Katchi Colony, Tibba Badar Shair, held a protest against the municipal corporation.

The demonstrators stated the disposal station of sewerage lines in the colony had started overflowing about three days ago but the MC staff remained unconcerned and their houses were submerged in sewage.

According to Rescue 1122, the demonstration continued for hours during which long queues of traffic on crossing’s six arteries were seen.

At last, officials held talks with the demonstrators and assured them of measures to resolve their grievance. At this, the protesters dispersed.

Meanwhile, an official handout claimed that Commissioner Asif Iqbal Chaudhry, also administrator of the municipal corporation, approved Rs4m on Tuesday for sewerage repair at Tibba Badar Shair Colony.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2019