A Pakistani child is given a polio vaccination by a district health team worker outside a children's hospital in Peshawar. – File photo by AP
A Pakistani child is being vaccinated against polio by a district health team worker outside a children's hospital. — File photo by AP

RAWALPINDI: A three-member polio vaccination team was tortured by the occupants of a house in Mughalabad who refused to allow them to administer polio vaccine to their children, police said on Wednesday.

R.A Bazar police have arrested three members of the family.

Qamar Zaman, the incharge of polio vaccination team in his FIR said hardly had I asked the inmates of the house to get their children vaccinated, three young men attacked the team. “They punched and dragged us in the street,” Qamar Zaman said in his complaint.

Tahir Mehmood, assistant sub-inspector (ASI), who was investigating the incident, confirmed that the team, one of them a lady health worker, was tortured.

He said the unpleasant situation emerged when two male members of the polio team entered into a housing compound where three brothers along with their families lived.

As the occupants of the house saw two strangers inside they got annoyed as they took it a breach of their privacy because the intruders had not rung the door bell nor did they knock the gate before getting inside.“Though a female was also accompanying the team but she was away from the male members when they get inside the housing compound,” the IO said.

Police said initially they exchanged hot words and later had a brawl.

Later, three brothers were arrested after a case was registered on charges of obstructing the government functionary.

Police said the three brothers arrested by the police were released in the afternoon after the complainant (incharge of the team) recorded his statement before the magistrate that he had nothing against the brothers as it was confusion and now he does not want to continue with the case.

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