LARKANA: Chief Justice of Sindh High Court (SHC) Justice Ahmed Ali Sheikh on Monday directed the deputy inspector general (DIG) of the Mirpurkhas Police and superintendent of police (SP) Umerkot to provide security to the family of a non-Muslim girl, who was allegedly sexually assaulted by a gang in Kunri.
The chief justice was hearing a suo moto case regarding the gang rape of a farmer’s daughter by some influential persons at Kunri. The top judge of the province had taken suo moto notice and directed Mirpurkhas’ District & Sessions judge, DIG and commissioner concerned to take strict action against the culprits and submit the report before it.
In Monday’s hearing, Umerkot SP Usman Ejaz Bajwa submitted a report and informed the court that the police had got medically examined the victim girl to ascertain the facts. The DNA test and medical reports confirmed that she was sexually assaulted.
The report said that accused was arrested and a case lodged under Section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code at Nabisar police station. Earlier, the DIG had formed a committee led by SP Bajwa and comprising Kunri SDPO Ghulam Mustufa Kachelo and SHO Ashok Kumar to conduct fair and impartial investigation of the case. Directing the police high-ups to ensure the safety of girl’s family, the court put off the hearing.
MISSING PERSON CASE: In another case, the Sindh High Court sought comments from the Rangers director general, inspector general of police and other officials on a petition seeking whereabouts of two citizens who went missing.
A division bench was hearing petitions filed for the recovery of Saad Shamsi and Muhammad Ashraf believed by their families to have been picked by the law enforcement agencies from different areas on different occasions. The family members of the missing persons approached the high court against the law enforcement agencies and authorities concerned, seeking whereabouts of their loved ones.
The court was informed that the Rangers had picked up Shamsi from Gizri and Ashraf from Korangi area but neither showed their arrest or produced them before any court. The petitioners submitted that the family members were going through severe mental agony in their absence, adding that they were trying their best to trace out the missing persons since the day of their arrest but to no avail.
Citing Rangers, IGP and home secretary as the respondents, the petitioners prayed the court to direct the respondents to produce the missing person before the court. After the initial hearing, the court issued notices to federal and provincial law officers and the respondents, directing them to submit their respective replies by the next hearing.
