GUJRAT: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif suspended on Friday the head of a hospital and two police officials for ‘delaying’ the finalisation of a medico-legal report and registration of case against the son of a landlord, who allegedly pushed a 10-year-old boy on to a running water pumping machine, resulting in severance of his both arms.

The Gujranwala Anti-Terrorism Court handed over accused Ghulam Mustafa to police on a 10-day physical remand.

Those suspended include Medical Superintendent of the Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Hospital, Dr Tahir Naveed, Lalamusa DSP Mohammad Usman and Saddar SHO Shaukat Topa

The landlord’s son Ghulam Mustafa pushed Tabassum Shahzad on to a water pumping machine after tying his hands in Chak Bhula village on July 21. Both arms of the boy were severed.

Landlord’s son arrested for ‘chopping off’ boy’s arms

During a visit to the hospital to inquire after the health of Tabassum, the chief minister took the officials to task. The victim’s father told him that DPO Rai Ijaz Ahmad had ensured arrested of the suspect. This brought relief to the district police chief who had earlier been punished and made ‘officer on special duty’. The chief minister withdrew the order of his suspension.

The DPO told Mr Sharif that the hospital administration had delayed the medico-legal report. He said he had inserted section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act in the case. The chief minister asked the IGP to further investigate the matter.

The parents of the boy complained about what they termed delaying tactics used by the hospital administration in issuing the report.

Tabassum’s father said he had to buy medicines and dressing material after the hospital refused to provide these. The boy told the chief minister that Ghulam Mustafa, the accused, had asked him to take a bath in the water being pumped out by the machine. Then he tied his arms, threw hot water of the pump on his body and pushed him onto the belt of the pump which resulted in the sudden severance of his arms.

The father of the boy showed to the chief minister the pictures of the severed arms. The mother kept wailing and said her son was a student of fifth class and wanted to get education.

Mr Sharif comforted the family and said the culprit would not be spared. He pledged to bear the expenses of the boy’s medical treatment even if he needed to be sent abroad.

He handed over a cheque for Rs1 million to the parents.

IGP Mushtaq Sukhera, RPO Saad Akhtar Bharwana, Gujranwala Commissioner Shumail Ahmad Khwaja, DCO Liaquat Ali Chattha and DPO Rai Ijaz accompanied the chief minister.

Adviser to the chief minister Khwaja Salman Rafique visited the boy in the hospital and on his orders, Tabassum was taken to a hospital in Lahore.

The leader of opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed, and some local PTI leaders inquired after the health of the boy.

They condemned the atrocity and blamed the Punjab government for lawlessness in the province.

They also criticised the Gujrat police and administration for being negligent. He offered financial assistance to the family on behalf of the party.

A delegation of Jamaat-i-Islami also visited the hospital and stayed with the boy for some time.

According to sources, Ghulam Mustafa’s father Ghulam Ghouse, the landlord, and Nasir Iqbal, father of the boy, were involved in a dispute over getting an electricity transformer repaired. The two families own farmlands and outhouses in the same area.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2014