Lahore harassment case: Police trying to convince victim to identify culprits

LAHORE: Police have taken two suspects into custody for interrogation in relation to the Qingqi rickshaw harassment case in Lahore, a video of which had surfaced on social media a few days ago, sparking widespread anger and condemnation from the people.

Sources told Geo News that the victim, who spoke to the police via telephone, is reluctant to come forward and identify the culprit but the police are trying to convince her to cooperate so that justice could be served.

The investigation team has assured the victim that the police will fight the case on behalf of the girl, so that she wouldn’t have to be in the public eye, sources added. On Friday, another video, showing a Pakistani man sexually harassing a woman, went viral on social media, sparking outrage from different sections of society.

Two women, with a child seated between them at the back of a Qingqi rickshaw somewhere in a busy street in Lahore, could be seen in the video clip. The women were seen to be visibly disturbed at the sight of a couple of motorcyclists hounding the rickshaw, catcalling, and leering at the women.

As the video shows, one man jumped onto the rickshaw, out of nowhere, and forcibly kissed the woman. Startled, she and the woman beside her screamed but no one intervened.

One of the women took her slipper off and threatened to hit a motorcyclist with it. The woman who was harassed, at one point, was extremely upset and tried to leave the rickshaw in despair but was stopped from doing so by her companion. Lahore police have yet to arrest the culprit who harassed and forcibly kissed a girl near Lahore's Greater Iqbal Park on Independence Day, Geo News reported Saturday.

A case, however, has been registered at the Lari Adda police station on the station house officer's (SHO) complaint, after police were shown a video of the incident. According to the first information report (FIR), the incident took place on Circular Road, near gate no 1 of Greater Iqbal Park, towards Chand Chowk. The FIR estimates 10-12 "morally unrestrained" men on board motorcycles to have harassed two women sitting on board a Qingqi rickshaw, with a child seated in between them.