KARACHI: The city administrator on Friday sought a clarification from the principal of the Karachi Medical and Dental College (KMDC) within three days for not reporting on time an incident of forcible closure of teaching and medical activities at the college.

Administrator Laiq Ahmed also asked the SSP Central to arrest the culprits involved in the incident and take security measures for the college staff, patients and students.

Earlier, Aqeel Ahmed Sheikh, head of the dentistry department, had sent a report of the incident on April 7, according to which laboratory attendant Nadeem Zaidi entered the OPD on April 6 at 11am along with department staff and harassed house officers, patients and other people present.

According to the report, Zaidi had also forcibly closed the work at the hospital.

“On April 7, Nadeem Zaidi once again reached the OPD along with Asif of the accounts department and forcibly stopped hospital activities and classes in morning shifts,” the report read.

Even the vice principal himself could not give his lecture despite full attendance in his class. The vice principal also attached two separate applications.

In one application, it was mentioned that Nadeem Zaidi and Asif Anjum threatened them and forcibly closed down the OPD.

In the second application, the BDS students said that they were waiting for their class to start on April 7 at 10.30am but classes were not held due to a strike of working staff union.

Similarly, in another application, the students of second year BDS said that they were attending a laboratory in the Oral Biology Department when suddenly some “mischievous people” came and asked them to stop working and leave the lab.

The chairman of the KMDC executive committee in a note sheet suggested strict disciplinary action against laboratory attendant Nadeem Zaidi and assistant of finance and accounts department Asif under the relevant rules.

The city administrator, in an explanatory notice to the principal of the college, has expressed concern over the fact that even after 48 hours since the incident, the principal didn’t give him any written report.

He said that according to the report, the principal of the college was not present in the college on the day of the incident for which no application or intimation was made which was against the professional responsibilities and duties as a college principal.

In addition, the administrator in a letter to the senior superintendent of police of Central district drew his attention towards the issue and informed about the details of the incident.

The SSP was requested to take security measures for the safety of the staff, patients and students of the college and arrest the culprits involved in the incident.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2021