Gokal Das, police brutality victim

Gokal Das, an octogenarian, was tortured by a Pakistani cop in the town of Ghotki, Sindh province. His sin? He was selling food items/eating 40 mins before the sunset in a majority Muslim country in the Holy month of Ramazan (Ramadan).

A complaint was filed in the local police station by Vinod Kumar, Gokal Das grandson. The accused cop, Ali Hassan, has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault.

Pakistani law, Ehtiram-e-Ramadan (Respect for Ramadan), made it illegal to drink or eat in public during Ramadan, no matter what religion you belong to. You can be sent to jail, heavily fined or may even beaten by vigilantes, but this time the Pakistani state took law into its own hands and brutally beaten Gokal Das. It is heart wrenching to see the bloodied hand of the aging Hindu man.    

The humiliation and trauma of Gokal Das is unfathomable, but the least we can do is to send him some token money to provide some solace to him and his family.  

Lets show to the persecuted minorities in Pakistan that they are not alone and the civilized world stands by them.

Regards,

Dr. Asim Yousafzai
University of Maryland, USA

Dawn story of this incident
Respect for Ramadan Law