Artist Abuzar Madhu was arrested in Lahore, reportedly for his long hair and appearance, as well as staying out late at night. Taking to Twitter, his friend, Natasha Javed, a child rights advocate, wrote about the whole incident.
According to Javed, Abuzar, who is a teacher and artist, was arrested at around 3 am at Kalma Chawk, Lahore. As he was waiting for an auto rickshaw, a police van passed by him. They came to him, asked him for his ID, which Abuzar produced.
Despite this, one officer Saifullah asked the others to put him in the van and take him to the Model Town Police Station where Abuzar would then spend the night.
On being asked what the reason for the arrest was, Abuzar only received patronising comments about his appearance or his 'hulia' that did not sit well with the officer. The fact that he was out on the street at 3 am also appeared to be an issue.
Abuzar tried to explain that he was an artist and a teacher, but to no avail. He was forced into the van and taken to the police station. There, he tried to get in touch with his friends by posting appeals on Facebook before his phone was taken away.
According to Natasha, "Saifullah could bully Abuzar because he was looking for a rickshaw and not sitting in a private car. He could harass him without facing consequences."
Even in lockup, Abuzar was repeatedly being told that one night in jail would teach him a lesson and improve his appearance. Abuzar is out and safe now.
But Natasha stressed on a larger issue and says, "I don’t know how many people face harassment from the police everyday. The fear that the police could’ve easily taken a step further & even further if they wanted - is real. And that we sit here accepting it all is making me more furious.
Here is Natasha's entire thread explaining the situation:
Netizens online have agreed with Natasha's points and condemned the Punjab Police for taking such harsh steps. Here is how they reacted:
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