OKARA: Police on Friday registered cases against seven people – five in Okara and two in Bahawalpur – for attacking health workers administering typhoid vaccination to children in two parts of Punjab.

In Okara city’s Allahdad area, a five-member team of vaccinators was performing duty at a school when a child Hamza’s father Imran and his accomplices came there and hit the team with shoes and pushed them out of the school. Saima Naz, Muhammad Faizan and Robina Kausar fell unconscious and were taken to the DHQ hospital.

A B-Division police team led by SI Mansha visited the school but the suspects made good their escape. Police registered a case against Imran and his four accomplices.

BAHAWALPUR: The Dera Nawab police registered a case against two persons who attacked a health department team administering typhoid vaccination in an area.

Rana Muddasar Saleem complained that he, along with health workers Rukhsana, Farzana and Mussarat Shaheen, was administering typhoid vaccination to children at the Government Girls Primary School of Basti Sheikh Roshan when two persons identified as Muhammad Shahid and Muhammad Saleem came there and tortured them.

The armed attackers also hurled threats of dire consequences for insisting on vaccinating the children, he said, adding that the suspects also broke the vaccine box and wasted the vials. They fled after some time.

The Dera Nawab police claimed to have registered a case but did not confirm any arrest.

Published in Dawn, June 19th, 2021