Eye for an eye: Panchayat orders ‘revenge rape’ of widow

Residents familiar with the incident said a 40-member panchayat ordered on January 24 that F be raped by a Rahim Baksh along with his sons and two brothers to settle the score of a rape allegedly committed by her brother.

They said that F’s brother A* often visited the house of Rahim Baksh, as he had reportedly developed illicit relations with his 20-year-old married daughter.

Earlier this week, when A* reached Baksh’s residence to meet his beloved, Baksh’s sons Yasin and Muhammad Amin, with their paternal uncles Faiz and Karim, locked him in a room. Later, a panchayat was called to settle the matter, with Muhammad Nawaz Channar appointed as chief.

Channar declared that the revenge for rape could only be settled through the rape of A’s sister – “izzat ka badla izzat” –and therefore ordered that F be taken from her home and locked away in Baksh’s house.

Baksh, along with four others – his sons and brothers – were ordered to rape the girl while the council was seated outside the room. The five accused threatened to kill the victim’s family against raising their voices about the incident.

A medical report conducted on Thursday stated that F had not been raped. The victim also denied that she had been raped and said that she did not want to pursue a case in this regard and wants the matter to be resolved.  The accused maintain that while they did take F into a room and strip her naked, she was not raped.

Investigating office (IO) sub-inspector Asadullah Khan said that panchayat head Channar, alleged rapists Yasin and Rahim Baksh have been arrested, while all efforts are being made to arrest the remaining accused.

The district police officer and sub-divisional police officer have also visited the Daira Din Panah police station and directed the SHO and IO to arrest the remaining accused, police said.

*Names have been changed to protect identities

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2014.