PESHAWAR, Oct 17: The NWFP government is considering registering an FIR against the gang involved in the sexual abuse of students in the Government City Higher Secondary School for Boys No. 3, informed an official.

It is learnt that on Thursday, a sub-committee of the provincial assembly submitted its initial inquiry report to Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani.

An official told Dawn that the chief minister had sent the report to the NWFP law department for seeking its opinion as to whether an FIR could be registered against the accused on the basis of available evidence and record.

Sources in the law department said that Secretary Law Amir Gulab Khan, after examining the report and record, was of the opinion that an FIR could be registered against the suspects and they could be tried by a court of law for sexually abusing students. He has also suggested that some more evidence should also be gathered against the accused education employees.

The provincial government is also considering other steps for punishing the accused employees, including their suspension. The government may also transfer all the teachers of the school and appoint any senior academician of repute as principal of the institution.

Five of the accused had already been transferred to other schools in the district. They are senior teacher Abdul Qayyum, another teacher Mubarak, two clerks Shahnawaz and Humayun and watchman Baseer. Another member of the said group, who was earlier transferred from the school, has also been named in the report.

It is learnt that the committee will finalize its report after recording statements of the accused employees so that they should not be condemned unheard. The final report will be submitted before the assembly and will also be given to the chief minister.

The NWFP assembly sub-committee investigating the crime has also acquired the original report of a previous committee.

On Thursday, the body examined 15 students and on Wednesday some employees of the school, including its principal, watchmen and clerks.

The committee on schools and literacy was asked on Sept 27, to hold an inquiry into the issue of molestation of the schoolboys.