Arrested woman alleges being raped by Rangers
LAHORE: Uzma Fahad, an alleged liquor smuggler, has accused Pakistan Rangers Punjab personnel of raping her during interrogations. She was reportedly arrested red-handed carrying liquor at a Rangers picket in Bhaman village, closed to the Pak-India border.
Also, hundreds of witnesses claimed to have seen Rangers personnel publicly assaulting Uzma outside the Ganga Ram Hospital where she had been brought for a medical examination.
Earlier, a case was registered against Uzma on the complaint of Rangers personnel under Sections 164 (8) (1), 157 of the Customs Act and 3/4 of the Drug Act. According to the first information report, Rangers personnel had installed a picket at the Bhaman village near the Pak-India border, where they arrested a woman, later identified as Uzma Fahad of Nawi Abadi Jallo, and recovered 26 bottles of imported liquor from her possession.
According to sources, after the case was registered, Rangers personnel held her in custody for investigations and later presented her before a magistrate in Cantt courts the next morning.
Later, upon being presented in a Customs Court, Uzma alleged that her captors had raped her during interrogations, on which, the court ordered for her medical examination.
The Rangers personnel then took her to the the Ganga Ram Hospital, where Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr Rauf informed them that the Batapur Police Station, where the FIR against Uzma had been registered, did not fall in the hospital’s jurisdiction and referred them to the Mian Munshi Hospital. But seven hours later they again arrived at the Ganga Ram hospital with court orders for her medical examination.
No disclosure: After completing the examination, Rauf told Daily Times that the doctor who had examined Uzma was refusing to disclose the results.
Not raped: However, Pakistan Rangers Punjab Superintendent Muhammad Rauf, talking to Daily Times, said, “Uzma was in the custody of the Batapur police, thus Rangers personnel could not have raped her. Uzma was not handcuffed since she was a woman, but she took advantage of that and tried to escape outside the Ganga Ram Hospital… which is why female Rangers personnel grabbed and contained her. We arrested Uzma at the picket and recovered liquor from her possession in public and a police team later reached the site and took her into custody.”
A little while: However, Inspector Javed, the station house officer (SHO) of Batapur Police Station, refuted the SP’s statement saying, “Uzma was at the police station for only a little while and after registering the case against her, Rangers personnel took her back into their custody for further investigation.”
Source: Daily Times
Date:3/29/2010
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