Amraiz Khan
Lahore
Two days after the tragic incident of gang rape case, on the motorway, Punjab’s IG Police, Inam Ghani, on Friday ordered the deployment of highway patrol and special protection personnel on the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway. This is two days after a woman was gang-raped on the unmanned road, in a case that has caused national outrage and exposed the security lacking.
The order for deployment came in a memo sent to the Additional IG of Punjab Highway Patrol (PHP) and DIG Special Protection Unit (SPU) by the AIG (operations) on behalf of newly appointed Punjab Inspector General of Police Inam Ghani.
The IGP has directed the PHP to deploy manpower on the 91-kilometre stretch of the motorway in order to ensure the security of commuters.
“The mandate of the force so deployed shall be restricted to security of commuters and road users only. However, the said deployment shall remain in place as a temporary arrangement till the deployment of National Highways and Motorway Police,” the letter stated.
The memo said in order for the duties to be given effect as per the standard operating procedures, the PHP “shall be reinforced with SPU” personnel.
Separately, IGP Ghani told reporters that nearly 250 personnel of PHP and SPU will perform duties on the motorway in three shifts. “They will carry out patrols round the clock on motorcycles and cars,” he said, adding that the police personnel will not only give protection to commuters but also help out those in distress.
He said a ticketing system will soon be set up on the motorway and its security will be completely handed over to the Motorway Police within “2-3 months”.
Meanwhile, twenty teams of police are engaged in investigation and geo-fencing of the area has been completed. Police are working hard to find the culprits. Police have begun collecting data of factories and factory workers around the scene, and CCTV footage has been obtained from cameras.
Both traditional and modern methods of interrogation are being used to investigate the rape of the woman on the motorway. With the help of detectives, an area of 5 km around the scene was checked and suspicious points were marked. Seven suspects on various evidences including identification of Mohammad Kashif, Abid Lahori, Salman, Abdul Rehman, Haider Sultan, Abu Bakar, Asghar Ali have been arrested. DNA tests of the suspects have been conducted and their report is awaited. On the other hand, CCPO Lahore’s statement on the incident of gang rape of a woman became a top trend on Twitter. Citizens launched a campaign on social media to remove Omar Sheikh. One woman wrote, “Get rid of CCPO, otherwise no woman can get justice.”
One user wrote, Are these the best? It should have been C, not F grade. Someone said that if a police officer could make such a statement, then imagine what would happen to women in police stations.
