report in Dawn, 30 Dec 2020
MUZAFFARGARH: A group of people tortured two boys on the direction of a panchayat (village jury) which declared them guilty of stealing flour from a grinding mill.
The video of brutal torture and pleadings of the boys to let them go went viral on social media prompting police to take action against the grinding mill owner.
Sources said Abdul Ghaffar alleged that the two boys stole 40 kilogramme flour from his grinding mill two days ago and he caught them and locked them up. Later, he said, he called some of his relatives and area notables who decided to publically punish the suspected thieves.
In line with jury’s decision, some of them thrashed and caned the two boys after chaining them with charpoy and also captured their torment on mobile phone cameras. The boys are heard pleading their innocence and requesting the people to let them go.
As the video went viral and calls for justice grew, District Police Officer Mohammad Hassan Iqbal ordered SHO Mohammad Younis to shift the boys to hospital for their treatment and register a case against Abdul Ghaffar and others who also took Rs35,000 fine from the boys.
Police on Tuesday arrested the suspects and registered a case against them.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1598539/flour-stealing-jury-orders-public-caning-of-two-boys
