January 29, 2008	Tuesday	Muharram 19, 1429

HYDERABAD, Jan 28: Caretaker Federal Human Rights Minister Ansar Burney seems to have forgotten that he has ordered an inquiry into the death of a teenage student Mudassar Arain, a victim of corporal punishment at school, as no official of his ministry has so far initiated any formal probe.

Not only this but the high level medical board that was proposed by a district government’s committee formed by the Hyderabad district nazim, has also not been formed yet.

According to Mudassar’s father, Aslam Arain, he had received a telephone call from an official of the federal human rights ministry, requiring him to send a complaint in writing to them through a courier service. Mr Aslam said that he had sent an application to the ministry through a courier service but he had not received any reply.

“I am waiting for the reply from the ministry while the minister’s secretary doesn’t take my calls on his cellphone,” he said.

Mr Burney during his visit to the boy’s residence on Jan 15 had ordered an inquiry into the matter.

The student was hospitalised in the wake of alleged corporal punishment at Government Boys Himayatul Islam School on Nov 21. The boy was operated twice for intestinal obstructions. He was again admitted to Civil Hospital on Jan 2 with multiple problems and died on Jan 10 in the paediatrics ward.