LAHORE: Four girl students have been booked by police here in Pakistan's Punjab provincial capital for allegedly torturing a fellow girl student on the issue of drugs at a top private school here, prompting authorities to launch an investigation.
The incident took place on January 16 at the Scarsdale American International School located in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) in Lahore.
A video of the girl being tortured by her classmates at the school went viral on social media.
The video shows teenage girls holding the alleged victim by the hair and pinning her to the ground. The girls could be heard verbally abusing the alleged victim and telling her to "say sorry".
According to an FIR, the victim recorded the video of class fellows taking drugs on campus.
A case was registered by the police against the four girls after the victim's father Imran Younis filed a complaint.
One of the suspects "is a boxer who hit the victim in her face while another kicked her, causing injuries to her face. Another girl tried to strangle her," the victim girl's father said in the FIR.
The school meanwhile tweeted condemning the incident. "Our school culture is our highest priority and we uphold our core values of honor, respect, compassion and responsibility," it said.
The Capital City Police Lahore and the Punjab Police have responded to the video, saying a case has been registered and that an investigation has been launched into the incident.
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Drug use in Lahore's educational institutions is on the rise.
According to the chief minister's advisor on Drug Control Programme Zulfiquar Shah, drug usage has risen at an alarming rate in both private gatherings and educational institutions in Lahore.
"Last year, Lahore Police booked over 9,000 drug dealers and drug peddlers in the city. Similarly, 4,590 kg of Hashish, 60 kg of heroin and 20 kg of ice were recovered from the possession of the suspects," he said.