BAHAWALPUR: The principal of a private school in Lodhran was arrested on Friday on charge of raping a 7th grade student in a classroom nine months back.

Lodhran Saddar Police arrested the suspect, who was also the owner of the school, on complaint of the father of the 12-year-old girl who quitted going to school after the incident but did not tell her parents about the incident.

According to district police spokesperson Khan Bahadur, the victim’s father complained that his daughter was studying at the school at Basti Lalilwala.

Nine months ago, the suspect allegedly detained his daughter on the pretext of cleanliness. When his daughter was cleaning, the suspect bolted the room from inside and allegedly raped her.

After the incident, the suspect warned the child against disclosing it and issued her threats.

The complainant added that after the incident, his daughter looked frightened and harassed but she did not tell anybody anything.

However, she refused to go to school or even left studies. Now, she disclosed about the crime of the principal.

The spokesperson said a rape case was registered against the suspect who was arrested on the orders of DPO Kamran Mumtaz.

The medical examination of the victim is yet to be carried out.

SENTENCED

The additional district and sessions judge of Multan awarded life sentence to two convicts, Abdul Hayan Ilyas Shadab and Muhammad Hussain Ilyas Sunni, and imposed a fine of Rs600,000 each to be paid to the family of the murder victim.

According to prosecution, the convicts had killed one Zubair in the Khooni Burj area of Delhi Gate, Multan, in 2023 over enmity.

BVH

All eight operating theatres of Dubai Complex of the Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH) resumed functioning after closure for about eight months due to lack of funds for completion of its revamp.

The revamp had to be suspended with the start of the tenure of Maryam Nawaz as the chief minister.

Due to nonpayment of bills, the contractors refused to continue work, forcing the BVH administration to close down the theatres.

During this eight months period, thousands of patients were diverted towards private hospitals, which earned millions of rupees from them.

BVH Medical Superintendent Dr Aamir Mahmood Bokhari told Dawn eight operating theatres were reopened after the revamp, which was completed with Rs220m released by the government.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2024