Minar-e-Pakistan incident: 28 emergency calls, but no response on ground

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has made three senior police officers – DIG Operations Sajid Kiani, SSP Operations Nadeem Abbas, SP City Hassan Jahangir – OSDs [officers of special duty] and ordered for suspension of SDPO Badami Bagh and SHO Lorri Adda.

The strict action was taken over very poor response to 28 emergency calls, made for rescue of Tiktoker girl Ayesha Akram during a public assault at Minar-e-Pakistan on the Independence Day.

Those involved in public assault of victim will also be severely punished, said Punjab CM Usman Buzdar. He presided over a meeting on Friday to review the progress made in the investigation so far. Punjab IG Inam Ghani presented a report, in which the role of police officials was also discussed. The CM instructed the IG to suspend the police officers concerned.

Lahore DIG Operations Sajid Kiani, SSP Operations Syed Nadeem Abbas and Additional SP Operations Hassan Jahangir were removed from their posts, while DSP Badami Bagh Usman Haider and SHO Lorry Adda Mohammad Jamil were suspended. The provincial government also suspended the projector director and deputy director of the Greater Iqbal Park.

CM Buzdar said the culprits would be handed severe punishment and the victim would be provided justice. He said that police response was delayed. "The people have high expectations from the police and the police have to carry out their duties according to the aspirations of the people," he said. Buzdar expressed grave concern over the public assault of the woman and some other recent incidents in Lahore. "Angry" over police performance, the chief minister said the police response to the woman's assault and other incidents had been slow. The Minar-e-Pakistan assault came to light after a video went viral on the social media, showing hundreds of men attacking a woman as she went to the park with four of her friends to celebrate Independence Day. The police had registered a case against 400 men for assaulting the woman. Lahore police have taken 20 people into custody on suspicion of assaulting and groping the female Tiktoker. The suspects have been handed over to the CIA for further interrogation. They were detained from the nearby areas of the Greater Iqbal Park.

The authorities have shared the suspects' details with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and are waiting for an identification report to proceed further. The suspects were taken into custody after police obtained videos that went viral on the social media of the assault of the woman, who was making videos for her TikTok account at the national monument, on the occasion of Independence Day.

After NADRA sends its report, police will seek the victim's help to identify the suspects. The medico-legal report of the victim confirmed details of the injuries she sustained after being assaulted. Signs of inflammation were found on the woman's body, the report said, adding that her neck, right hand and ears were swollen. There are three scratches on the right side of her chest and scratches on her left arm, back and both legs. There are also several bruises on her body, the report said. Woman says men groped, beat her and tossed her into the air.

The episode triggered anger and widespread criticism of the prevalent misogyny in Pakistan after the video clip, showing hordes of men of all ages climbing a fence and attacking the woman, went viral on the social media. The victim said she was also robbed of her Rs15,000, her mobile phone, gold ring and studs. Out of hundreds of men, many of who just stood there and even made a video, only one person came to the woman's rescue and helped her get out of the park.

A source in Lahore police said that at least 28 calls were made by the citizens and park administration at Rescue 15 and the gravity of the situation was also told to the moharrar of Lorri Adda police station and SHO of the same. They kept on saying that they were heading towards the crime scene. They expressed excuse that there was too much crowed and they were unable to reach there.

The JIT formed to investigate the incident, headed by MD Safe Cities Rao Sardar, also examined the emergency calls and response to it during the incident. The recordings of the 15 calls were heard. The investigators prepared initial report based on emergency calls and presented it to the IGP. The initial investigations into the incident suggested that police delayed response which caused the horrific incident. The report was presented to the CM, who decided to remove senior officers and local officials.

Minister Raja Basharat also chaired a meeting with the officers of Safe Cities Authority and directed them to get out of order cameras repaired and improve 15 response. The contract with Huawei was also discussed to improve the operational issues of Safe Cities cameras.

Meanwhile, CCPO Lahore and outgoing DIG Operations also visited the house of victim and expressed sympathies with them. Further investigations are underway to trace the real culprits and fix responsibility on negligent officers and officials.