January 16, 2008	Wednesday	Muharram 06, 1429

HYDERABAD, Jan 15: Caretaker Federal Minister for Human Rights Ansar Burney ordered an inquiry by his ministry into the death of Mudassar Aslam, the alleged victim of corporal punishment, here on Tuesday.

He assured the boy’s family that he would request the Sindh health secretary and Hyderabad district nazim to share reports of their inquiries into the matter.

The report of the three-member inquiry committee, formed by the Hyderabad district nazim, would submit its report to the nazim on Tuesday, said a source.

The minister went to the boy’s house in Sarfaraz colony and met his father Aslam Arain and elder brother Owais.

The family told the minister how Mudassar Aslam was punished at his school, underwent two surgeries and then again admitted to the hospital on January 2, when his condition further deteriorated.

“They [doctors] failed to understand the nature of Mudassar’s problem. Doctors kept giving different statements and when his condition became critical they advised us to take him to Karachi,” they said.

The family named Dr Wajid, the incharge of the paediatrics ward, Dr Nand and Dr Bushra, who, according to them, didn’t gave proper reply to them.

The minister also met the teacher, Buland Iqbal, in the office of the EDO education.

Mr Ansar Burney told journalists that circumstances leading to death of the boy do demand that his corpse should be exhumed, if permitted by his family.

He said that an official of his ministry from Karachi would conduct the inquiry and he would coordinate with the health secretary and the district nazim to share findings of their respective inquiries.

He maintained that he would seek medical reports of the boy because there were allegations of negligence against the doctors.

Meanwhile, an inquiry committee formed by the medical superintendent of the Liaquat University Hospital, Dr Mohammad Wasim Shaikh, could not begin its proceedings even on Tuesday.