'Vultures': Woman filming TikTok mobbed by group of men
WARNING - DISTRESSING CONTENT: A young woman in Pakistan was assaulted, stripped and tossed in the air by a massive crowd of men, police say, triggering a national outcry against a string of such attacks in recent months.
The incident took place in the eastern city of Lahore, when a crowd of around 400 people allegedly assaulted a young female TikTok user while she was filming a video with her team in a national park on Saturday.
A disturbing video of the incident has gone viral and drawn condemnation. Hashtag #lahoreincident, #ayeshaakram and #400men are among the top Twitter trends in Pakistan.
Police have registered a case against 400 men and have begun a search with the help of the footage.
Politicians, rights activists and celebrities joined renewed calls for the protection of women in the country.
Former special forces officer and Indian politician of the BJP party, Dr Surendra Poonia, described the men involved as "vultures".
Trigger warning: extremely disturbing
This is what 400 Pakistani men did to one woman in Lahore on their Independence day last week. I only shudder to think the plight of persecuted Hindu girls. Stories that are conveniently whitewashed. #SexualTerrorism #ImplementCAAnow pic.twitter.com/MGRYzWOF6a— Rashmi Samant 🌺 (@RashmiDVS) August 18, 2021
The incident took place weeks after the beheading of a former diplomat's daughter in the capital shocked the nation.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has spoken to the provincial police chief and asked him to arrest the culprits.
"The government won't spare a single person involved," the premier's close aide, Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari, said on Wednesday.
PM @ImranKhanPTI personally spoke to IGPunjab, police is catching all culprits involved in manhandling of female tiktoker in Lahore & those damaging statue of Ranjit Singh at LahoreFort.
These are gross violations of laws & social norms, govt won’t spare a single person involved.— Sayed Z Bukhari (@sayedzbukhari) August 18, 2021
Opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incident on Twitter: "What is more worrying is the direction our society is headed in. The recent anti-women incidents are a reminder that malaise is deep-rooted."
Amnesty International asked authorities to "provide greater protection for women in public spaces, which women have every right to but are prevented from accessing fully, for fear of attacks exactly like this."
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