Masih worked at a brick kiln near Clarakabad village in Kasur District, Punjab Province. When the 25-year-old Christian woman went outside to empty the bins, she noticed that a Muslim co-worker, Chad, was taking photos of her with his phone. When she turned back, Chad followed her home, attacked and tried to rape her. Masih’s three children witnessed the incident. Her husband found her bleeding after the assailant kicked and beat her.

“Rakhil begged and pleaded Chand to leave her, repeatedly telling him to spare her and her unborn child, but he would not listen”, the husband revealed in an interview. “I was working at the kiln when I heard the screams of my wife and children. I ran towards my quarters, where I saw Chand punching and kicking Rakhil, who was lying on the floor profusely bleeding. My immediate concern was for Rakhil, who was in a very bad condition. I took her to a nearby government hospital with help from some co-workers, where we were told that the baby had died due to the torturous attack.”

Masih was held in the hospital for more than a week due to her internal injuries. The doctor, being afraid of repercussions from the Muslim kiln owner, refused to sign the medical report. According to Masih’s husband: “The thought of filing a police complaint immediately did not cross my mind at that time, because all my attention was focused on Rakhil’s condition. I had already lost my unborn son, and I couldn’t even think of seeing my three children losing their mother.”

The husband reported the incident to the police; however, they refused to charge the assailant because of the influential Muslim businessman: “The police asked us to bring the medico-legal certificate from the hospital, which was required to file a First Information Report. However, when we submitted the certificate, the police refused to register a case, saying that the concerned doctor had not signed the certificate. I later came to know that both the police and the doctor had been influenced by the Muslim owner of the brick kiln, Chaudhry Abdul Rehman. The accused, Chand, is a henchman of Rehman, and it is because of his influence that police are reluctant to file a case against Chand and arrest him.”

Chand is still working at the kiln, even though he has been harassing Christian female workers on a regular basis. Unfortunately, despite many complaints, he has not been reprimanded. He and his family members have threatened Masih’s husband, requesting him to stop chasing legal action.

According to rights activist Napolean Qayyum: “The poor couple’s unborn child was murdered. The medical report certifies that the woman was brutally tortured, which caused the baby’s death, yet the police are still refusing to register a First Information Report.” He said he had submitted a complaint to the office of the Punjab Inspector General of Police “but there has been no progress on it”.

Source: https://morningstarnews.org/