Hell hath no fury: A tale of two processions
A group of armed men tortured a young girl in Jaranwala by dragging her through the streets after shaving her head and blackening her face.
The incident took place a few days after the victim’s mother had tortured another girl in the locality in the same manner.
According to eye witnesses, nearly half a dozen armed men broke into the house of Hanifa Bibi and thrashed her daughter Sameena mercilessly.
“The men beat her up and kicked her after they dragged her outside the house. Then they blackened her face. They held the entire family at gunpoint,” said a village resident Asghar.
Local residents told police officials that the accused allegedly tore the girl’s cloths, blackened her face and put a necklace of shoes around her neck.
“They forced her to walk in the street at gun point and all the while a dhol wala was playing a drum and they danced behind her. The men were calling her names and beating her all the while,” said eyewitness Javaid Hassan.
According to police officials, Muhammad Ali, Amir Ali, Javed and Shahid forced their way into a house in Mohallah Muslim Town, Jaranwala accompanied by Asiah Babi, Sughara Babi, Zoraha Bibi and Rani Babi. The women seized hold of Hanifa Babi’s daughter by the hair and dragged her outside where they beat her. “It was revenge.
Hanifa Babi had done the same thing to one of their women only days ago and they even registered a case but the police did nothing,” Hassan said.
Several locals told police that three days ago Hanifa Babi and her companions broke into Asiah Bibi’s house. “They blackened her face and made her sit on a chair decorated with shoes outside the street and locals then carried the chair across the street. They called her names and threw things at the woman,” Majeeda Bibi told police officials. “The women of the house swore revenge,” she added.
Asiah Bibi told reporters that ‘justice had been served’ because the police had refused to take action. “When I was abused we filed a case with police but they did nothing,” she said. On Friday, Muhammad Ali, Amir Ali, Javed and Shahid escaped from the scene after leaving Sameena in the street. Sameena openly threatened the family and approached the police with her mother.
On the complaint of Sameena’s mother Hanifa Babi, City Police Station Jaranwala have registered a case against the accused under section 452, 354, 148, 149, 501 PPC but no arrest has been reported so far. When contacted, Jaranwala Police Inspector Zafar Iqbal said that police officials were working to arrest the accused. “We have registered both cases and are conducting a full investigation,” he said. “Both of the women have been assaulted and the case needs to be looked into in detail,” he added
“Both incidents took place in public. We saw both women abused by the other’s family. Police should arrest Hanifa Babi as well as the four men,” said eyewitness Khurram Hayat.
Aasiya Bibi said that she did not regret her revenge. “If police officials had acted sooner it might not have come to this but they needed to pay for what they did to me. This is merely an eye for an eye,” she told reporters.
The names of both victims have been changed to protect their identity
Published in The Express Tribune, July 30th, 2011.
