A judicial magistrate on Saturday granted post-arrest bail to a man accused of violently assaulting a woman riding a scooty on Mozang Ring Road, despite widespread public outrage over footage of the incident circulating on social media.
The suspect had been arrested after CCTV footage of Thursday’s attack emerged online, showing a man allegedly stopping the woman’s two-wheeler and repeatedly striking her in the presence of several bystanders.
Police identified and apprehended the suspect using footage and information gathered from dozens of cameras operated by the Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA).
Following his arrest, a criminal case was registered against him.
On Saturday, Mozang police produced the suspect before a judicial magistrate and requested that he be sent to prison on judicial remand, stating that further physical custody was unnecessary.
However, the magistrate exercised his judicial authority to grant the accused post-arrest bail against a surety bond of Rs100,000.
The court directed that he be released provided he was not wanted in connection with any other criminal case.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif publicly expressed displeasure at the court’s decision.
Taking to social media platform X, she shared several screenshots of television news reports concerning the suspect’s release and wrote “SAD” in capital letters.
Approximately two hours earlier, the chief minister had posted about a conversation with the victim.
Maryam said she had told the woman “she should slap the man as many times as he had slapped her”.
However, according to the chief minister, the victim did not wish to retaliate.
“But she said that, for her, it was enough that the government had made her feel protected, cared for, and assured that justice was on her side,” Maryam wrote.
Footage of the incident showed a motorcyclist overtaking the woman on a busy road before positioning his motorcycle directly in front of her scooty, forcing her to stop.
The man then allegedly attacked the woman, pulling her hair and repeatedly slapping her while several people watched.
The video appeared to show that none of the nearby onlookers intervened to protect the victim.
According to preliminary police reports, the woman sustained facial injuries during the assault, including a fracture of her nasal bone.
A police official also alleged that the attacker threw the woman’s bag onto the road, severely damaging a laptop worth approximately Rs90,000 inside it.
The suspect subsequently fled the scene, despite the presence of several witnesses.
The incident attracted widespread condemnation after the footage circulated online, drawing attention to violence against women in public spaces and the apparent failure of bystanders to intervene.
The criminal proceedings remain pending following the court’s decision to grant bail.