LAHORE: The entire staff of Lahore’s Ghaziabad police station was suspended on Tuesday after it emerged that an assistant sub-inspector had allegedly raped a woman on the premises on Sunday.

Lahore DIG (Operations) Faisal Kamran confirmed the development to Dawn, saying that the woman was allegedly raped by an assistant sub-inspector inside a room at the police station.

He said the woman had identified, in the presence of senior police officials, the exact room where she was allegedly raped. “The room was located on the upper floor of the police station,” he said.

The DIG said he suspended the entire staff of the police station because, according to police rules, all of them were responsible for keeping a check on any wrongdoing at the station.

“No one bothered to enquire why the ASI had brought the woman to the police station in the absence of any female personnel,” he said.

Over 70 personnel and officials deployed at the police station have been suspended, according to a police report seen by Dawn.

A first information report (FIR) of the incident, a copy of which is available with Dawn, was registered at Ghaziabad police station on Monday under Section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code and 155-C of Police Order, 2002, which outlines penalties for misconduct by police officers.

The FIR quotes the complainant, the woman’s father, as saying that his daughter, aged around 20 and mentally impaired, had left home in the afternoon on Sunday and did not return for a long time, following which they began searching for her.

He said a man told him that a policeman, who was in civilian clothes, had taken his daughter away with him.

“We then reached the Ghaziabad police station at around 9pm. But as soon as we reached there, my brother called and told me that my daughter had returned home,” he told police, adding that his daughter was crying when he reached home.

When asked for the reason, she said a police official had taken her with him on a motorcycle and then raped her.

Prosecutor general takes notice

Punjab Prosecutor General Irfan Sadiq Tarar has taken notice of the incident, declaring it a high-profile case and directing that the investigation be conducted in a transparent, impartial and merit-based manner.

According to a statement, Tarar has summoned the investigating officer to his office on Thursday, along with the complete case record for a review of the investigation.

He directed that all stages of the probe be completed in accordance with the law, warning that any negligence or delay would not be tolerated.

The prosecutor general also said ensuring legal protection and justice for the survivor was the prosecution department’s top priority, adding that crimes against women and children were intolerable and would be prosecuted effectively on the basis of strong evidence so that those responsible could be punished in accordance with the law.