Engineer Rohan Chaudhary
Mirpur: British-Kashmiri woman Farakhunda Rehman has accused SHO Thothal Police Station, Imran Chaudhry, of severe mental torture, attempted abduction, and sexual assault. Addressing a press conference at Kashmir Press Club alongside prominent figures of the Joint Action Committee, she alleged that despite having evidence, SSP Mirpur Khawar Ali acted with professional dishonesty and filed weak charges against the accused.
She rejected the police inquiry committee’s findings and demanded SHO Imran’s immediate arrest and a judicial inquiry under a High Court judge. Farakhunda also claimed that Inspector Mehboob from the Anti-Corruption department pressured her, even involving people from the UK, to forgive Imran, citing his family responsibilities. She urged authorities to file a harassment case against Mehboob as well.
Detailing her ordeal, she stated that she had been struggling for four months to reclaim her property in Mirpur. A UK-based relative, Tahir Saleem, connected her with Sajid Aslam, an MD in MDHA, who directed her to SHO Imran. Instead of meeting at the police station, Imran allegedly picked her up in his vehicle, took her to a petrol station, and then to his residence, where he attempted to assault her at gunpoint while under the influence of alcohol. She managed to escape but not before enduring extreme distress.
Farakhunda provided recordings and evidence to the police, but the FIR did not include charges of abduction, harassment, illegal weapon possession, alcohol consumption, or blasphemous remarks regarding religious sites. She further accused SSP Khawar Ali of summoning her to his office through male officers, despite her cooperation throughout the process. She also lamented that her statement was taken in Urdu, despite her limited proficiency in the language.
Rejecting the police inquiry committee, she and the Joint Action Committee leaders demanded a high-level judicial investigation. They also condemned efforts to protect the accused, warning that if justice is not served, public protests will escalate. The committee has given authorities a deadline, after which they will announce their next course of action.
