LAHORE/MULTAN - Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday constituted a three-member committee to probe the revenge-rape incident besides making the City Police Officer OSD and suspending the SDPO and personnel of the entire police station over  “criminal negligence”.

“I’ll not sit calmly until the aggrieved families get justice. The oppressors cannot flee the punishment whatsoever. We’ll take the persons responsible for this tragedy to the task,” he declared while talking to the media after visiting both the families here at Women Crisis Centre. The CM also met with both the girls and assured them of quick justice.

“The committee will complete its investigations in the quickest possible way and the report will be made public within 72 hours. The state will become complainant in this case,” the CM declared. He was of the opinion that the second incident could have been averted had the police reached the village timely. “Police exhibited grave negligence,” he added.

Over 20 persons including the head of a Panchayat (village council) have so far been arrested by police in connection with a tragic incident in which a 17-year old girl was subjected to revenge-rape as punishment on order of the Panchayat for an alleged rape committed by her cousin. However, the rapist in second incident namely Ashfaq is still at large. Ashfaq allegedly approached a Panchayat and accused the The incident shook entire country and the Chief Justice of Pakistan also took suo moto notice, asking the IG Punjab to submit a report on it. The three-member committee, comprising Chairman Chief Minister Inspection Team, RPO Sargodha and another senior police officer namely Malik Abu Bakar, is likely to reach Multan today (Thursday) and it will start its investigations immediately, sources said.

The Chief Minister told journalists that the first incident took place on July 16 while the second on the night between July 17 and 18. He added that the FIR of the first incident was registered eight days later July 24 and the second on July 20. “It’s the issue of criminal negligence. All those responsible for the negligence will be made answerable,” he declared. He said that the Panchayat made a tyrant and cruel decision which was highly condemnable. The CM revealed that attempts were made to reconcile the issue after the rape of the second girl which failed and then another FIR was registered on July 25.

He told the media that he met with the aggrieved girls and their families and assured them of justice. He said that the incidents reminded him of the stone age and he felt as if he was living in that era. He regretted that despite this tragedy no one bothered but now the tyrants would be taken to the task. “All characters involved in this heinous crime will be given stiff sentences so that no one can imagine of committing any crime like this in coming days,” he declared. He said that the Supreme Court had also taken notice of this incident and facts would be presented before the court. He said that people constituted a so-called local council and committed barbarian acts but police remained oblivious of the tragedy. “Even the affected women reached the Women Crisis Centre but police still remained unaware. It’s criminal negligence,” he maintained.

Earlier, the CPO Multan, who has just been removed from his seat by the CM and made OSD, had told media that it was not a conventional Panchayat rather the members of the same family gathered and settled the issue.