20 more suspects sent on judicial remand in Minar-e-Pakistan assault case

• A total of 130 suspects arrested for alleged involvement in case.
• Section 395 added to FIR: Investigation officer tells court.
• Court asks police to wrap up identification process quickly.

LAHORE: Twenty more suspects have been sent into judicial remand for their alleged involvement in the Minar-e-Pakistan assault case, taking the total number of people on remand to 90, Geo News reported Monday.

Hundreds of men had assaulted a female TikToker in Lahore's Greater Iqbal Park on August 14, as she was shooting a TikTok video in the park.

The victim told the police that the men groped her, tore off her clothes, beat her, and tossed her in the air. In addition, they robbed her of Rs15,000, snatched her mobile phone, and took off her gold ring and studs.

The news outlet also reported that a total of 130 people have been arrested so far for their alleged involvement in harassing and assaulting the female TikToker.

Meanwhile, today, during the proceedings of the case at a district court, the judicial magistrate approved sending 20 men on judicial remand and asked police to wrap up the identification process at the earliest.

The police had also submitted the initial medical report of the TikToker in the court, which mentioned that there were scratch marks on the woman's body.

In light of the medical report, changes have been made in the FIR, the investigating officer told the court and submitted it to the judicial magistrate.

Section 395 — imprisonment for life, or with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine — of the Pakistan Penal Code has also been added in the FIR, the officer said.

The police had earlier registered a case against 400 men for assaulting the woman.

PM takes notice of female Tiktoker's assault

On August 18, Prime Minister Imran Khan had taken notice of the Minar-e-Pakistan, a close aide of the PM, Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari had tweeted.

PM Imran Khan personally spoke to IG Punjab on the manhandling of the woman and the vandalisation of Ranjit Singh’s statute at Lahore Fort, Bukhari had said.

Culprits being identified through videos

Last week, Punjab government spokesperson Fayyazul Hassan Chohan had said that the culprits were being identified through video footage.

“The incident of assault on a woman in Greater Iqbal Park is a shameful act which has brought shame to the society,” Fayyaz Chohan said in a statement.

He had said that the suspects involved in the video are being identified and will be brought to justice.