Maryam Ali granted interim bail in Defence violence case

A Karachi court has granted one-week interim bail to Maryam Ali Raza, who has been nominated in a case involving alleged violence against a woman and her brother in the Defence area. The Sessions Court South approved Maryam’s interim bail and restrained police from arresting her for one week. During the hearing, Maryam’s lawyer, Rehman Korai, told the court that his client had approached it to seek protection from arrest. After hearing the arguments, the court granted her interim bail for one week. According to police officials, Maryam, her son Hamid, her daughter and police personnel accompanying them allegedly assaulted Syeda Noorul Ain and her brother. Police said the siblings were also threatened with serious consequences following the incident. A case was subsequently registered, and further investigation is underway. The incident, which took place recently in Khayaban-e-Bukhari, Defence, came to public attention after a video surfaced showing Maryam allegedly assaulting a woman with a dumbbell. Two police officers were also seen at the scene. Another video later emerged showing a member of the affected family being taken to a police station by police personnel, raising questions over the role of the police and alleged partiality in the registration of cases. According to the first information report (FIR) registered on Syeda Noorul Ain’s complaint, the incident began when a police officer rang the bell of her flat and told her that “Madam Maryam” was calling her downstairs. The FIR states that Maryam later came upstairs while allegedly hurling abuses and kicked the door. After Noorul Ain opened it, she allegedly grabbed her by the hair and snatched her mobile phone before throwing it downstairs. She also allegedly scuffled with Noorul Ain’s mother when she arrived at the scene. The FIR further alleges that Maryam returned with her daughter and police personnel and assaulted Noorul Ain with a dumbbell. Following the incident, South DIG Asad Raza ordered an inquiry led by the SSP Investigation South. The inquiry committee held Korangi SSP Fida Janwari and four police personnel responsible for negligence and administrative lapses and recommended legal and departmental action against them. The committee recommended action against Janwari under performance and discipline rules and also determined the roles of the other police personnel. It further recommended that the case registered against the affected family be placed in the B-class category and closed, while a case regarding the alleged violence be registered on the family’s complaint. Maryam’s interim bail is valid for one week, while police continue their investigation into the case.

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