Tourist harassing Kalash women in viral video traced: police

CHITRAL: A video making rounds on social media is showing a tourist in Chitral District’s Kalash Valley harassing local women.

The viral footage shows an unidentified man following Kalash women as they tread past him expressing their displeasure at the unwanted advances being hurled their way by the tourist.

The pestering man can be seen asking the women for pictures and making derogatory remarks that are followed by extreme indignation by the victims.

The Deputy Commissioner of Chitral acknowledged the incident and has issued a probe into the matter.

The statement further read: “We are trying our best to ferret out this man in the video. Local tourists are required to respect the cultural norms and sensitivity of the community. DPO @ChitralPolice has been contacted to further investigate in the matter. He will be booked under the law soon.”

DPO Chitral Mansoor Aman said that the suspect had been traced by the police. 

“The person filming the video has been identified and his name will be made public soon,” Mr Aman told The News.

“We have also directed local police to contact the women seen in the video and get an FIR registered to press charges against the tourist,” he said. 

“Police  cannot proceed against the suspect unless there is a complainant,” he pointed out.

The DPO, however, said police were also considering inclusion of additional charges against him for impersonating as police.

To a question, he said that he had set up a special Women and Children Support Center in Chitral to prevent such incidents in an area visited by tens of thousands of local and foreign tourists every year.

He said that around 50 lady police officers were hired at one police station and there was regular police patrolling in the area. 

He said that although this was the first incident of this kind in Bumburet, but police were dealing it with utmost professionalism. 

The DPO office also issued a press release stating following facts. 

1) The video is from two years ago and was uploaded on 19th July 2016, as can been in the pictures attached below. This incident was not reported to the police by any of the women involved.

2) SDPO and SHO have instructed the Bumburet police to trace the women in the video and file an FIR against the man.

3) An appeal has also been issued to the Cyber Crime Wing of FIA to assist in tracing the social media profile that posted this video two years earlier.

4) The man that can be seen in the video does not belong to the Chitral police and the suspect’s picture has been sent to all DPO’s. The suspect will be subject to sterner punishment if he turns out to be a police official.

5) To eradicate incidents of sexual harassment, a Women and Children Support Center has been formed in Chitral that will tend to all complaints regarding sexual misdemeanors.

6) DPO Chitral’s phone number 03461119337 has been shared multiple times with the public where complaints can be lodged through SMS as well.

7) In future circumstances regarding similar incidents, the anti-harassment units consisting of Kalash men and women by the police force are to be informed.