Defence assault case: Maryam booked after inquiry recommends action against police

A case has been registered against Maryam, who is accused of assaulting a female neighbour in Karachi’s Defence area, following an inquiry into the incident and the role of police officials. Maryam had earlier lodged a case against the victim herself following the altercation. However, an investigation subsequently recommended registration of a case against Maryam and the police officials involved in handling the incident. The inquiry committee also recommended legal and departmental action against four police officials for alleged negligence. The incident occurred in Khayaban-e-Bukhari, Defence Phase 6, where a video emerged showing an influential woman and her associates allegedly assaulting a brother and sister. The footage showed a woman allegedly attacking another woman with a dumbbell in the presence of two uniformed police officers. A man in plain clothes was later seen allegedly damaging a CCTV camera with a government-issued Kalashnikov. Another video subsequently emerged showing a member of the affected family being dragged by police officials to a police station. The footage prompted allegations of bias in the registration of a case against the victim’s family. The inquiry committee submitted its detailed report to the Additional Inspector General Karachi. It held Korangi SSP Fida Janwari and three other police officials responsible for negligence and recommended legal and departmental action against them. According to the report, the Korangi SSP displayed administrative negligence, for which action was recommended under the Performance and Discipline Rules 2020. The officials named in the recommendations include Darakhshan SHO Rashid Ali, investigation officer Imran Darakhshan and police mobile officer Aftab Mangi. The committee also recommended that the case registered against the affected family be classified as a B-class case and cancelled, while a separate case over the alleged assault be registered on the family’s complaint. It further recommended registering cases against two women and a man seen in the video allegedly assaulting the affected family. The report stated that the individuals were close relatives of Korangi SSP Fida Janwari. DIG South Asad Raza had ordered an inquiry into the matter and assigned the investigation to the SSP Investigation South. Following the inquiry committee’s recommendations, a case has now been registered against Maryam and the relevant police officials.

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