- Connecticut State Representative Maryam Khan and her daughters were assaulted by Andre Desmond while leaving the XL Centre in Hartford following the annual Eid al-Adha prayer service.
- Khan highlighted discrepancies in the police report and criticised the release of faulty information to the press regarding the incident.
A Connecticut police union demands a ‘humble apology’ from the state’s sole Muslim lawmaker and sexual assault victim for her criticism of their handling of the attack.
Connecticut State Representative Maryam Khan was sexually assaulted in June as she departed from an Eid al-Adha prayer congregation, enduring a slap to her face and a choking episode in the presence of her young daughters. The assailant explicitly expressed intentions of raping either her or her 10 year old or 15 year old daughter during the harrowing encounter.
During an emotionally charged press conference held three weeks later, she expressed dismay that crucial details had been overlooked in the police report and was appalled by the minimising of the severity of the attack.
Now, the Hartford police union has asserted that independent investigations have exonerated the officers implicated and contended that her remarks may dissuade other women of color from seeking assistance.
Yet, the examination of the case’s handling, agreed that the report the police released to the media and the recording of the attack were flawed.
‘While a fuller examination of the evidence resolved a number of Ms. Khan’s complaints, it also revealed certain oversights in the police activity,’ it deduced.
‘The reports did not fully capture the statements that the victims and witnesses made to the officers, which is a significant mistake.
‘In an incident like this, where victims have been injured and there is a defendant who may go to trial, it is important that the police accurately collect the statements from all witnesses and correctly identify those witnesses in their reports.’
Astoundingly, the police union are now demanding an apology from the victim, ‘A humble apology to the responding officers would be a positive step towards mending the trust that has been eroded,’ the union asserted in a statement.
Pictured: Connecticut State Representative Maryam Khan addresses the press following an assault she endured while departing from Eid Al Adha prayers.
Pictured: James Rutkowski, representing the Hartford Police Union, has made the startling demand for an apology from Khan.
Pictured: Khan’s assailant, Andre Desmond, 30
Desmond is awaiting a mental competency evaluation to determine his fitness to stand trial on charges including second-degree unlawful restraint, third-degree assault, second-degree breach of peace, and interfering with police.
This development is unsurprising to many Muslims, who are accustomed to seeing white perpetrators consistently characterised as having ‘mental health issues’.
Following the horrific ordeal, Khan asserted, “My body went numb and I thought I was going to die.”
‘He slammed my body into the ground, threw me. I felt nothing, but I shot up and I ran for my life.’
The police noted ‘minor injuries’ but did not offer medical assistance, despite her suffering from a concussion, neck pain, and numbness in her shoulder.
‘I remember feeling that I had to convince them that I was injured. ‘My neck hurts, my neck is stiff. And I feel it, something is wrong. Can someone please check me?’
‘All I keep thinking in these last few days is what happens to women in the city of Hartford that call the police when they are assaulted,’ Khan told the press.
‘When they experience what I experienced, when they experience sexual assault, when they experience physical assault.
‘Because if this is what’s happening to me and this is the best we can do, as a state representative who represents the city of Hartford, I cannot be OK with that.’
Photographed: The XL Centre in Hartford, where Khan sought refuge, became the scene of Desmond’s pursuit of her and her 10-year-old and 15-year-old daughters. The XL Centre was hosting 4,000 attendees for its annual Eid al-Adha prayer service when Khan and her daughters were attacked while leaving the premises.
