Female Curator Beaten By Police In Art Gallery

A female curator was allegedly beaten for 'indecent' behavior by a police station supervisor in Lahore, Pakistan on August 2, at an art gallery owned by well-known Pakistani architect Nayyar Ali Dada. The offending behavior included wearing sleeveless clothing and interacting with men.

According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, the officer and his subordinates entered the gallery without a warrant and began harassing female guests. The curator was "brutally assaulted," and, according to an Express Tribune blog post, "her colleagues who came to her rescue were taken to the police station and booked under an obsolete ordinance."

Nairang Art Gallery is known locally as a destination for left-leaning intellectuals, the sort of clientele that is generally less inclined to strictly observe Sharia law. Zee News quotes eminent Urdu writer Intizar Hussain, who said, "This is the only place left in Lahore where intellectuals can sit for a while."

So far, no action has been taken against the policeman, the Station House Officer of Lahore's Shadman police station, though it has been condemned by human rights groups and local commentators.

Below is a video from a previous exhibition at the gallery.