MIANWALI, Feb 6: City police here on Wednesday registered a case against headmistress of the Government Shahbaz Sharif Girls High School following the students and teachers took out a procession against her for allegedly torturing a teacher and depriving her of jewellery.

According to the FIR, the headmistress invited the victim and some other teachers to a birthday party at her home on Feb 1. Later, she allegedly took her to an unknown place, where the victim was intoxicated, thrashed and was deprived of her gold jewellery. The assailants left her unconscious near her Muslim Colony residence.

On 2 Feb, as the news spread, the teachers and students of the school boycotted the classes and EDO (education) suspended the headmistress.

The Wednesday procession was said to be the first-ever and the biggest as far as participation of girl students and female teachers was concerned, and unusual for a predominantly conservative and tradition–bound area.

Starting at about 9am from the school near Eid Gah, hundreds of protestors, who on their way, were also joined by students of other schools as well, gathered at Irkam Shaheed Chowk near district courts after passing through Ballo-khel Road.

They blocked traffic on Mianwali-Bannu and Mianwali-Rawalpindi roads for a couple of hours.

Carrying banners, they were chanting slogans against the headmistress. They were demanding her immediate termination from service and registration of a criminal case against her.

A heavy police contingent accompanied the protesters to help avoid any untoward incident.

At Ikram Shaheed Chowk, they were addressed by various leaders of teachers unions who vowed to support the protesters.

DPO Malik Abdul Aziz, who also addressed the protesters, tried to pacify the students but they remained adamant and moved to DCO office where they chanted slogans against the accused.

DCO Babar Shafi told them that he had already sent a request to the Election Commission of Pakistan for immediate transfer of the accused. The education secretary had also been informed of the situation, he added.

On the application of local teachers’ union president Rafiullah Khan, the DCO directed the DPO to register a case against the accused. Accordingly, city police registered a case against the headmistress, along with her unknown accomplices under section 365 of the PPC for allegedly abducting the victim and depriving her of gold ornaments. After registration of the case the protesting students and teachers dispersed peacefully.

The DCO also recommended proceedings under the Efficiency and Discipline Rules against the accused.

The DPO said as the victim was not cooperating with the police the case had been registered on the complaint of teachers’ union president.

The accused, however, denied all the allegations and claimed she herself was a victim of a conspiracy hatched by some teachers. “If I am the culprit, why the alleged victim herself did not come forward with the allegations and choose to be complainant in the FIR,” she argued.