HYDERABAD: The Women Action Forum (WAF) has raised questions over impartiality of a departmental committee formed by education department to probe suicide on April 18 by a physically challenged laboratory assistant posted at government girls’ college in Hala town.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the WAF said the inquiry should be conducted by those who were aware of human rights, women’s rights and anti-harassment law and demanded formation of anti-harassment committees in education department to stop recurrence of such incidents.

It said the victim had been under constant stress as she suffered harassment and insult at the hands of officials in the college administration and she stated in her suicide note that she was ending her life over the administration’s attitude.

WAF had tried to find out facts with the help of locals and police to learn about the circumstances leading up to her suicide. The victim’s heirs had not lodged any case and buried her without going for post mortem after recovery of her body from a canal, it said.

A four-member committee had been formed by the department to conduct inquiry into the harassment charges but WAF demanded a high-level inquiry instead of a departmental one, it said.

Since the departmental committee consisted of senior education officers therefore its transparency could become questionable, it said.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2024