RAWALPINDI: The villagers of Jatli on Monday held a protest after the body of a nine-year-old boy, who went missing about four weeks ago, was recovered from an abandoned well.

Mohsin Ali, a student of class III, disappeared while returning home after taking his final examination.

The protesters allegedly attacked and damaged a police van and injured Sub-Inspector Karamat Ali, who was leading an investigation into the case.

“My only son, Mohsin, along with his cousin was returning home after taking his exam on March 21 when he handed his clipboard and the pencil case to the cousin and started playing in a ground,” Mazhar Hussain, the father of the deceased, told Dawn.

He said when his son did not reach home till the sunset he started a door-to-door search but could not find him. Later, the police post of Daultala and the Jatli police were informed.

After intimating the police, the parents and relatives of the missing boy searched the whole village. “During the search, we explored some water wells but did not see the abandoned well in which my son was thrown,” Mazhar said.

He added that the police did not seriously launch a search for his son even though he repeatedly visited the police station.

On Saturday, some villagers spotted the body floating on the surface of the water in the abandoned well located at a distance from the boy’s house as well his school and informed the local police.

“My son was wearing school uniform when his body was recovered from the well on Sunday. But I believe that he had been detained somewhere in the village and later murdered and thrown into the well.”

He said former district nazim Raja Javaid Ikhlas, MNA, who belonged to his village, visited his house a couple of days ago and warned the police to trace the missing boy within four days.

He said: “I can’t blame anybody. I am a poor labourer and have no enmity with anyone. It is the job of the police to trace the culprits and bring them to justice. I need justice for the killing of my only son.”

The villagers put the body on the road and staged a protest against the police for their failure to trace the boy when he went missing. They also demanded the police bring the culprits to justice.

Malik Nawaz, the sub-inspector and incharge of the Jatli police station, alleged that the chairman of the union council Adhi, who belonged to the PML-N, provoked the villagers to attack the police.

When contacted, City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi Israr Ahmed Abbasi told Dawn that the SHO concerned would be removed for his failure to recover the missing boy. He also said a case would be registered against those who attacked the police and damaged the police vehicle.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2016