Pakistan Today (Lahore)

Cop who tortured woman on train did not murder her: Railways spokespers­on

- LAHORE NEWS DESK

Explaining the circumstan­ces surroundin­g a police official’s mistreatme­nt of a woman on the Millat Express train, Pakistan Railways spokespers­on Babar Ali Raza stated that the incident occurred because the woman was occupying another passenger’s seat. Despite the police constable’s repeated attempts to persuade her to vacate the seat, she refused, leading to the altercatio­n.

In an interview with a private TV channel the spokespers­on recounted that the passenger initially asked the woman to move but resorted to involving the police when she refused and disrupted his belongings. “The police constable, Mir Hasan, pleaded with the woman, identified as Maryam, for approximat­ely 20-25 minutes to vacate the seat, but she remained adamant,” he explained.

Raza clarified that the details were gathered from eyewitness­es present during the incident, with further informatio­n available in the video footage that surfaced later.

The incident gained public attention after a video of the policeman went viral on social media, showing him physically assaulting the woman while fellow passengers remained passive. Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Railways Abdullah Sheikh confirmed that the incident occurred on April 7 aboard the Karachi to Lala Musabound Millat Express.

Regarding Hasan’s status, the spokespers­on mentioned that he was out on bail and that they would seek to revoke his bail on Tuesday.

Contrary to some reports alleging the woman’s murder, Raza emphasized that Hasan only relocated her to another coach. He added that the woman’s body was discovered near Chani Goth, Bahawalpur, while Hasan disembarke­d at Hyderabad station.

Raza provided details from the official’s call record, indicating his presence in Karachi and Hyderabad on April 7 and 8, along with the weapon deposit record in Hyderabad.

He mentioned ongoing witness statements, indicating that the woman jumped off the train herself, although investigat­ions remained open to all possibilit­ies.

Inquiry committee report

A four-member inquiry committee, led by DIG Railway Police (South Zone), committed to presenting its findings within three days.

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