THATTA: A two-member anti-polio vaccination team was attacked by unruly men and women in Haji Siddique Chana village within Mirpur Sakro union council on Monday.

Nazeer Ahmed Channa and his wife Yasmeen Channa were tasked with vaccinating children in the union council as part of a polio eradication campaign launched in Thatta, like other parts of the province, on Sunday.

Continuing their job on Monday, the couple vaccinated a large number of children but as soon as they left the village at the close of the day’s work, a group of men and women started manhandling them. The couple somehow managed to escape though the attackers chased the motorcycle they were riding.

Thatta district focal person of the campaign Dr Hanif Umerani and taluka supervisor Dr Ghafoor Kaloi condemned the attack and said that under a directive of Thatta Deputy Commissioner Nadeemur Reman Memon, an FIR was registered at the Mirpur Sakro police station against Mohammed Omar, his son, Mohammed Irshad and brother, Lal Mohammed for attacking and abusing the polio workers and stopping them from discharging their official duties.

Later, Mohammed Omar and Lal Mohammed were arrested.

Meanwhile, Dr Umerani said that around 2,100 of the targeted 6,000 children in Mirpur Sakro union council were vaccinated during the last two days of the campaign.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2015