PESHAWAR: A lady polio worker, who claimed that she was raped by four men allegedly for administering anti-polio drops to the children in the area, appeared in DawnNews’ programme ‘Exposed’ and complained about police’s alleged cover up of the crime.
In the DawnNews show, the victim repeated her claim that she was threatened by a suspected militant Ajab Khan, who was living as a tenant in the victim’s house for six months.
Related: Health worker allegedly gang raped for administering polio drops
The victim said that Khan warned her to give up her job as "it was haram and part of American conspiracy against Muslims". He threatened the victim of dire consequences.
The lady said that few days after this incident, five men barged into her house at midnight and two of them – in police uniforms - allegedly raped her, while the other three tortured her family.
However, the FIR says the men took away Rs40,000 from the victim’s place and has no mention of rape charges, DawnNews reported.
District Police Officer (DPO) Nowshehra Qari Wahid said, “She (victim) did not have the clothes, neither medical test results to prove that she was raped.”
The police officer maintained that the police have done their duty as per law, however, the victim and her husband had no trust on their investigation and requested the Inspector General (IG) to shift the investigations to crime branch, Peshawar. Their request was declined.
The day after the programme went on air on DawnNews, the IG of Khyber Pakhtunkhuwa reconsidered the application and ordered the local SHO to send the case details to the crime branch, Peshawar.
The senior leader of Awami National Party(ANP) stressed that independent and transparent investigations should be done into this incident, “This is the responsibility of the government to provide complete protection to polio health workers.”
Denying the allegations levelled against KP police, the KP chief minister 's adviser on information Mushtaq Ghani said, “Police has done their job according to law. She (victim) has to come forward soon after the incident, if occurred. Police asked for proof but she did not give any.”
“I went to police the very next day but they refused to enter rape charges and kept my clothes (evidence),” claims the victim. It was after 21 days and applications to the IG and human rights groups that the police decided to add harassment charges in the case.
Civil society member Qamar Naseem said, “According to Sexual Harassment Act at Workplace 2010, the committee which were to be established at government institutions are not yet established”
“This is not the first incident. Three lady health workers were raped before,” said victim’s husband Javed.
According to International Crisis Group, 78 polio lady health workers have been killed while performing their duties since December 2012, most of them targeted in Karachi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
