Child abuse: Sessions judge asked for report on 4-year-old’s rape

The girl’s seminary teacher, accused of the crime, was arrested. PHOTO: FILE

LAHORE:  Taking notice of the news report of a four-year-old sexually assaulted allegedly by her seminary teacher in Mailsi, the Lahore High Court complaint cell on Saturday directed the Vehari district and sessions judge to submit his comments and order the police to submit a follow-up report on the progress in the case.

The case had been registered on the complaint of the child’s father, a resident of Nawan Shehr, who said that he had dropped his daughter at the Shaheedanwala seminary in the neighborhood. He said over 70 children from five nearby villages were enrolled at the seminary.

He said it was the girl’s first day at the seminary. The principal had asked him to leave the girl at his office so that “he could introduce her to the rest of the children”. He said when he returned to pick her up, he discovered that that the girl was inside the principal’s office that was locked. The principal was missing.

He said when he broke into the room, he found her lying unconscious on the floor. She was taken to the district headquarters hospital, where doctors treating her said that her condition was critical and that she need to undergo a surgery.

Dr Tahira Parveen at the hospital had later shared the girl’s medico-legal examination report with the press and confirmed sexual assault.

The child’s relatives and neighbours had staged a protest demonstration and announced boycott of all seminaries in the village.

On the orders of the district police officer, Sadiq Ali Dogar, the suspect was arrested from another seminary, where he had been hiding since the girl was found at his office. Two clerics from the same seminary had gone missing after the suspect was arrested.

Several other parents had voiced up in the following protests saying that their children, too, had been subjected to sexual assault. They said they had withdrawn their children from the seminaries and remained silent for “honour”.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2013.