Inspector General IG Punjab Inam Ghani on Saturday refused to defend the victim-blaming comments by Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Umar Sheikh on the Lahore motorway rape incident.
Stressing that in “no way the victim can be blamed for the horrific event”, IG Punjab said: “[The] guard cannot tell the owner of the house to protect their belongings themselves.”
Meanwhile, Law Minister Raja Basharat had also termed the CCPO’s statement ‘inappropriate’ and maintained that he does not approve or agree with whatever the CCPO had earlier said.
CCPO Lahore ‘inappropriate’ victim-blaming remarks
CCPO Lahore landed in hot water after he put the blame on the Lahore motorway gang-rape incident. In his remarks, the CCPO wondered why the woman took the route to travel and said that she should have checked her petrol tank before getting on the said route.
The CCPO is set to lead the investigation of the gruesome incident.
Sheikh had said that the woman had left Lahore’s Defence area at 12:30am for Gujranwala.
