Photo courtesy Punjab Police
Police say the accused has admitted that he targeted the madrassa student out of ‘lust’ and threatened him after videos of the assault were leaked on social media
Police in Lahore on Monday said that Mufti Azizur Rehman, a former leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) and teacher at the Jamia Manzoorul Islamia, had confessed during interrogation of sexually assaulting one of his students.
Rehman was arrested on Sunday from Mianwali, where he and his three sons had been hiding after police lodged a case against them for intimidation on a complaint filed by the student. In the First Information Report, the student had alleged that Rehman had sexually abused him for three years, adding that he had been warned that if he did not “make Rehman happy,” he would not be permitted to sit exams at the madrassa.
On Monday, police said that the cleric had admitted his involvement in the sexual abuse of the student, which became public after the victim released a secretly filmed video on social media due to the madrassa administration’s failure to act against Rehman. They said that Rehman had confessed to targeting the student out of “lust,” adding that he had lured with promises of being passed in annual exams. The cleric, they added, had claimed he had become worried when the video went viral on social media, and he and his sons had threatened the student to stop him from talking about the incident in future.
Last week, Rehman had issued a video statement denying his involvement in the leaked clip, and accusing the victim of drugging him to record the video. Police said he had admitted that he issued this statement because the madrassa administration had told him to leave over the controversy arising from the viral clip. They said he had claimed to be ashamed of his actions during the abuse of the student.
Police have said that they are currently collecting evidence in the case, adding that they will present a “strong” case to ensure punishment for the accused. In a press conference, the DIG urged any other victims of the cleric to come forward, adding that this would help ensure a lengthy imprisonment for the accused.