KARACHI, Dec 11: Acting in contravention of the government’s policy of devolution, the provincial Police Surgeon Office has stripped the medico legal centres across the city of their authority to examine ‘sensitive’ cases.

These centers have been directed to refer such cases to the Central Police Surgeon’s office.

The cases falling under the definition of the term ‘sensitive’ include those of rape, sodomy, custodial death, maltreatment, police encounter, etc.

The new policy, being pursued for about three months, has come hard on the victims of such crimes as they already happen to be in a state of shock upon arrival at any medico legal centre.

“The victims of rape or sodomy deserve and often require immediate assistance but since the shift in policy, this is no more possible as their cases are referred to the Central Police Surgeon’s office”, remarked a senior medico legal officer, requesting anonymity. For instance, a victim of sodomy coming from Korangi area arrives or is brought to the JPMC’s medico legal centre, he is told that he would be required to go the Central Police Surgeon’s office for examination and other legal formalities.

In another deviation from the past practice, samples such as vesra blood, urine, etc., are now have to be deposited with the respective additional police surgeon.

Earlier, these samples packed in a parcel used to be handed over to a policeman or the inquiry officer of the police station concerned who would take the same to the chemical examiner’s office for tests. However, under the new directive, the sample is first deposited with the office of the additional police surgeon and sent to the chemical examiner’s office the next day. An insider said under the system mechanism, chances of manipulation are high.

In the new mechanism, woman medico legal officers were also supposed to carry out examination at the Central Police Surgeon’s Office, but the decision in this regard had to be withdrawn reportedly after stiff resistance by women staff.

Police Surgeon Dr Bashir Ahmed Shaikh, when asked for comment on the new mechanism, said the change in process was aimed at attaining better results and quick disposal of such cases. He did not agree that it was causing delays, pointing out that he had disposed of some 450 pending cases within a month.

Citing an instance, Dr Shaikh said that recently, four persons were caught in a sodomy case from the Sohrab Goth area and the medico legal officer concerned, after carrying out examination, had identified the accused as eunuchs.

“However, in a subsequent examination at the Central Police Surgeon’s Office, it transpired that only one of them was a eunuch,” Dr Shaikh remarked.