HYDERABAD: Sindh health minister and vice chancellor of the Peoples University of Medical and Health Sciences for Women (PUMHS), Nawabshah, have formed inquiry committees to probe charges of harassment and attempted murder leveled by a house officer against three university officials a day before.

According to a notification issued by the health department on Thursday, the committee formed by the minister will work in the light of provisions of anti-harassment laws and relevant regulations.

The committee headed by chairman Health Services Sindh director general Dr Mohammad Jumman Bahuto would record evidence and submit findings with recommendations for appropriate action within three days.

The members of the committee are; Dr Shahabuddin Qureshi, deputy director general of the Directorate of Health Services Sindh, and Dr Rukhsana Channar, additional director of the directorate, says the notification.

Meanwhile, the DG of Health Services Sindh informed PUMHS vice chancellor that he would conduct inquiry into the ‘harassment’ incident on Feb 11 at 10am and requested the VC to ensure availability of all the officials concerned and Ms Parveen Rind, the house officer, on the scheduled date and time.

PUMHS VC forms probe committee

DADU: PUMHS Vice Chancellor Dr Gulshan Memon has constituted a three-member committee led by pro vice chancellor and director of students’ affairs, Prof Dr Fareedah Waggan, to probe the house officer’s allegations.

Dr Qurban Ali Raho and associate professor Dr Fozia Shahani are members of the committee, which will conduct the inquiry and submit a report to the VC, according to a notification issued by the university’s registrar.

House officer rejects PUMHS probe committee

The ‘harassed’ house officer Parveen Rind has rejected the committee formed by the PUMHS VC and said that a relative of the committee head Dr Fareedah Waggan was also involved in the attempt to kill her in the hostel room.

She said while speaking to members of civil society and activists of several political parties who had gathered outside press club in Nawabshah on Thursday and staged a demonstration in her support that she did not expect any good coming from Dr Fareedah-led committee.

She appealed to chief justices of Supreme Court and Sindh High Court to order a judicial inquiry into the incident led by a judge of SHC or SC against her tormentors.

Ali Nawaz Rind, uncle of Ms Rind, said that Nawabshah police had refused to register an FIR against the three university officials involved in sexual harassment and attempt to kill her niece. First of all, the FIR should be registered and then judicial inquiry should be conducted into the incident, he said.

Inyat Rind, a local leader of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Nawabshah chapter, warned of launching a protest movement against the PUMHS administration if the suspected officials were not arrested.

Activists of PPP, JSQM and PTI also joined the protest.

Torture marks on house officer’s body

A preliminary medical report on Ms Parveen Rind released by Peoples Medical College Hospital Nawabshah on Thursday found torture marks on face, neck and arms of the house officer, who had alleged a day before that three officials of PUMHS had tried to beat her to death in her hostel room.

Police Surgeon Zulifiqar Ali Shahani said the preliminary report found clear torture marks on the face, neck and arms of the house officer. The final report would be released within two days, he told journalists.

HYDERABAD: Sindhiyani Tehreek has condemned ‘harassment’ of the house officer at pumhs.

In a joint statement issued here on Thursday, the party’s president Subhani Dahiri and secretary general Zarka Halepoto said that Sindh government had appointed murderers to important administrative positions in the universities who harassed students and the government was patronising such elements.

In a similar case, a girl student decided to quit her education after having been disappointed, they said.

They expressed disappointment over her decision and said that girls hardly reached universities for higher education where they were harassed by officers appointed on the recommendation of feudal lords.

They urged chief justice of Sindh High Court to take notice of growing incidents of harassment.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2022