A girl who married against the wishes of her family was allegedly raped by influential members of a panchayat (village council) which was approached for the resolution of the issue in Tandlianwala, Faisalabad.
An
application submitted with Tandlianwala police station by the victim's
father-in-law says that she married his son out of her own will on
October 10. But her father, unhappy with the marriage, approached the
local panchayat and demanded the return of his daughter.
The applicant said that he handed over the victim — his daughter-in-law — to two members of the panchayat in the presence of villagers on November 7 on the promise that she will be returned to his home after a proper rukhsati ceremony arranged by her father.
However, three panchayat
members repeatedly raped the victim after taking her to their own home
and threatened to kill her if she attempted to flee or shout, the
application alleges. The victim finally managed to escape on December 12
and reached her husband's home where she informed the family of her
ordeal.
The applicant said that the accused threatened
his family and his son — the victim's brother-in-law — was briefly
kidnapped on December 13 with the intention of murder, a first
information report (FIR) of which has been filed separately.
