Viral footage captures harassment incident as police investigate alleged attack on music academy
Police vehicles are parked outside the district headquarters hospital in Muzaffargarh, Punjab, July 29, 2015. Photo: Reuters
CCTV and mobile phone videos emerged showing a woman being harassed by a large crowd outside a music academy in Nazimabad No. 3, prompting police to register a criminal case and launch an investigation into the incident.
The videos, which emerged days after the July 9 incident, show the woman trying to protect herself from an aggressive crowd by holding a chair in front of her as dozens of people surround and confront her near a chai dhaba.
According to police, the woman, identified as Ishrat Malik, was stopped and harassed while she was returning home after attending classes at the music academy.
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The incident reportedly began when locals stormed the academy, accusing it of organizing “immoral activities.” The claims have not been independently verified. An FIR was registered following the complaint by Shakir Ali, who runs the academy.
In his complaint, Ali said he ran an arts academy where students received training in singing and qawwali. He alleged that on July 9, a man identified as Azmat Shah, who he said appeared to be under the influence of intoxicants, arrived at the academy with two companions and attempted to force their way inside.
According to the FIR, Ali denied them entry due to their condition, after which the suspects forcibly entered the premises. He said one of the men brandished a gun, while around 10 other individuals then joined them, vandalizing the academy, assaulting staff and making threats that the institution would not be allowed to operate.
The complainant further alleged that the assailants physically assaulted him, causing injuries, and also harassed his wife, Huma, by pulling at her clothes. He accused the group of similarly harassing female students and outraging their modesty.
The FIR states that a female student, later identified as Ishrat Malik, fled the academy in panic. According to the complaint, the main suspect gathered more people from the neighborhood, after which a crowd of nearly 200 individuals chased the woman through the streets, apparently attempting to assault and harass her before she managed to take refuge in a nearby building. Police were called to the scene via the emergency hotline.
The Nazimabad SHO said the academy was providing qawwali and singing classes and no complaints had been filed with the police regarding its activities before the incident. He confirmed that police had filed a complaint alleging harassment of the woman and attack on the academy. No arrests have yet been announced.
