“Look here, in front, look here, face him.”
“Make it universal, look here, what will people from foreign countries think if they see it… viral, viral.”
These are the words that echo in the background of a video that has gone viral on social media in Pakistan over the past 24 hours.
In the video, several men and women suspects are filmed while the person recording repeatedly instructs the women to uncover their faces or move their hair away from their faces so their identities can be recognized. In the video, female police officers in uniform are seen ensuring that each woman’s face is clearly visible on camera.
The faces of about a dozen women and men in the video show signs of helplessness, and many, particularly the women, try desperately to hide their faces to avoid being filmed.
This is not a scene from a police identification parade, nor a press conference where suspects of a major crime are presented to the media.
In fact, these are the aftermath scenes from a police raid on a farmhouse in Kasur district, Punjab, where a so-called dance party was allegedly taking place. The police claim that they raided the site when men and women were reportedly dancing to loud music.
Following the video going viral, the Kasur police sent an initial investigative report to the Punjab government, stating that this event was a well-organized program, with tickets sold via social media. The Punjab government has said that after suspending the involved police officers, further investigations have been initiated.
Kasur’s District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Isa Khan stated that the SHO and police security personnel involved in the ‘collusion’ during the event were suspended. Furthermore, a case was registered against the investigation officer and sub-inspector for filming and viralizing the video, and they were arrested.
The police have acknowledged that recording and viralizing the video of the detained suspects was “a violation of the law,” and their internal accountability system has been activated, resulting in action.
A case was registered against the concerned police officers for violating the PICA (Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act) and Police Services Rules, leading to their arrests.
