The great ordeal suffered by women in the public sphere of their life continues as another woman fell victim to the uncontrolled lust of Bahauddin Zakariya Express staffers who gang-raped her. The incident took place on May 27, between Multan railway station and Karachi when the woman was travelling from Muzaffargarh to Karachi. The woman was visiting her in-laws to meet her children as she had been recently divorced.
She was gang-raped by two ticket-checkers and their supervisors as they lured her to the AC bogie from economy class. The accused ticket-checker has been identified as Zahid and Zohaib and their in-charge as Aqib, they had fled the scene after the incident.
After the train reached Karachi, as no one was there to receive her, she was offered help by a railway police officer on duty, to whom she didn’t tell about the incident. Later she was taken to police station help center by a lady railway police officer. The victim did not report the incident immediately, however, when the news got out Divisional Superintendent Karachi contacted her and encouraged her to report the incident. The woman then lodged the FIR, her statement was recorded and a case has been registered against the accused by the Karachi City Station police.
Federal Minister of Railways Khwaja Saad Rafique, while taking notice of the incident expressed regret and sought a report from Inspector General of Police railways within twenty-four hours. He further directed to ensure the prevention of such incidents in private (outsourced) trains. Taking quick action, DS Railway Hamad Hasan Mirza has claimed that police have arrested two suspects involved in the gang-rape. “The suspects named in gang-rape case were employees of private company which is running Bahauddin Zakariya Express,” he further clarified, adding that they are not employees of Pakistan Railways. According to the latest reports all three accused have been arrested.
سانحہ زکریا EXP
چلتی ٹرین میں عورت کے ساتھ اجتماعی زیادتی کا معاملہ. انتہائی سنگین نوعیت کے کیس کو ریلویز پولیس نے چند گھنٹوں میں مکمل حل کر کے اہم کامیابی حاصل کر لی مزید حقائق تفتیش میں سامنے آئیں گے۔ آئی جی ریلویز کی طرف سے تشکیل دی گئیں ٹیموں نے نمایاں کارکردگی کا مظاہرہ کیا.— Pakistan Railways Police Official (@ig_prp) May 30, 2022
The victim has been taken for medical treatment to Jinnah Hospital Karachi while further investigation is underway.