DERA GHAZI KHAN, Aug 4: A woman who was allegedly subjected to sexual harassment at the Nishter Medical College and Hospital has accused the Multan police of delaying investigation into the case registered on the intervention of the Supreme Court.

She alleges that the police are using coercive and delaying tactics to discourage her and her husband not to pursue the case against the influential accused who had retired in March this year as head of the orthopaedic surgery department.

Hailing from Dera Ghazi Khan, the complainant was allegedly molested by Prof Dr Ashiq Pervez in April last year when she was looking after her minor son who had broken his leg and was admitted to the Nishter Hospital for surgery. She herself had been a patient and remained under treatment of the same doctor for some shoulder and neck problem.

Her husband, an English language and literature instructor at a state-run postgraduate college, had lodged complaint against the doctor with the NMC&H authorities.

Later, the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team also conducted an inquiry into the matter through its senior member, Brig Tauqeer Qamar (retired).

The inquiry officer had held the doctor guilty of immoral behaviour towards his patient. At this, the provincial government made him OSD and directed him to report to the health secretary.

He, however, moved the Lahore High Court’s Multan bench against the provincial government orders and, subsequently, the matter of his transfer became a subject of judicial logjam.

Disappointed in the outcome of their struggle, the complainant and her husband sought help of the apex court through a letter urging the chief justice to take action on the complaint of sexual harassment the victims of which usually preferred to keep silent for lack of necessary support from society in general and the law-enforcement agencies in particular.

The apex court sought report of the CMIT and later directed the Multan district and sessions judge in April this year to direct the police to take stock of the crime.

Although the Multan Cantonment police had registered the case but they have yet to complete chargesheet despite the passage of almost four months.

When contacted, investigation officer (sub-inspector) Qaiser Abbas said he had handed over the incomplete challan to the police station authorities before going for a training course a week ago.

It was learnt that now the matter had been handed over to sub-inspector Shabbir who, however, said the authorities had yet to give him the case file.