Ichhra Bazar incident: Three suspects remanded in police custody

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Monday handed over three accused, involved in harassment of a woman wearing a dress with Arabic calligraphy print in Ichhra Bazar here, to the police on a 3-day physical remand, ARY News reported.

The police produced the accused, Muhammad Nadeem, Adil Sarwar, and Al Tamash Saqlain, before ATC Judge Arshad Javed and sought their physical remand for investigations.

The investigating officer submitted that the accused had gathered a mob and not only harassed but also attempted to kill a woman for wearing an Arabic print dress after accusing her of disrespecting religion.

He further submitted that the police timely intervened and rescued the woman.

Subsequently, the court handed over the accused to the police on a 3-day physical remand and directed for their production on expiry of the remand term.

It is pertinent to mention here that the incident took place a few weeks ago, and Ichhra police had lodged an FIR against dozens of identified and unidentified suspects, including those who raised religious slogans threatening the life of the woman.

Read More: FIR registered over harassment of woman in Lahore’s Ichhra Bazar

A charged mob gathered outside a shop in Lahore’s Ichhra Bazar after someone alleged that a woman’s shirt had Quranic verses printed on it. The woman, who was accompanied by her husband, sought refuge in a nearby shop.

As per eyewitnesses, most of the people in the mob were either customers, visitors or passersby. The garment traders – who gave shelter to the woman – were aware of the calligraphy print being available in the market. But despite the traders’ explanation, the angry mob insisted on a “blasphemy” charge.

The woman’s dress had the word “Halwa” printed in Arabic letters on it, meaning “beautiful or sweet” in Arabic.

Upon receiving information about the incident, the Punjab Police — led by ASP Syeda Shehrbano Naqvi — arrived at the scene and took the woman into their custody, saving her from the charged crowd.

A video clip showed the girl hiding in a shop and shivering with fear. In a video shared by the Punjab police on X, the ASP could be seen rescuing the woman from the bazaar while a mob hurled abuses in the background.