A Rawalpindi court has granted bail to a husband and wife on Thursday, both of whom were charged with torturing their minor housemaid. The father of the eight-year-old told the judge that the case was filed over a “misunderstanding.”
The couple, Bakhtawar and Alisher, were arrested after the child maid escaped their house and informed her family about the beating. According to The Express Tribune, the case registered by police included sections pertaining to cruelty to children and uprooting hair, attempted murder, illegal confinement and trafficking not included.
However, on Thursday, when the accused appeared before Judge Meharun Nisa, a document of a ‘compromise’ between the two parties was also presented. It contained the thumb impression of the complainant, a labourer from Rahim Yar Khan.
Additionally, the investigation officer (IO) presented a statement of the girl’s father who no longer wants to pursue the case.
The Express Tribune reports that the girl and her father appeared in the court teary-eyed. The girl’s head was covered in a dupatta.
The court concluded the case with the release of the couple against surety bonds of Rs 50,000 each.
Victim under pressure
Initially, before the arrest, the girl’s family admitted that she had been repeatedly tortured. Her medical reports also revealed bruises, dislocations and fractures.
The couple allegedly even tried killing her by placing a polythene bag on the girl’s face.
However, the family back tracking within the span of 24 hours of the couple’s arrest indicates pressure from the accused as well as the family.
The Express Tribune highlights that according to sources within the police department, the accused bribed the Investigation Officer who then deemed the argument as weak. Additionally, the IO pressured the complainant ‘in a sweet way’ while also threatening him with arrest for letting his under-age daughter work.
He also urged for an out-of-court settlement.
He stated in the court that the case was based on a misunderstanding, and that the family no longer wanted to pursue the case.
According to people present in the courtroom, as reported by The Express Tribune, the father clutched his daughter’s hand throughout the proceedings. “Now I am going back to Rahim Yar Khan with my daughter and we are never coming back,” he told The Express Tribune.
The accused and the investigating officer, reportedly, came out of the court smiling.
