RAHIM YAR KHAN: One polio team was attacked and another threatened in different areas of Khanpur tehsil, some 50km from here, on Wednesday.

DDO (Health) Agha Toheed Khan said polio team workers Maqbool Ahmed and Muhammad Saleem were attacked by teacher Muhammad Ashraf and his two colleagues when they visited the Government Primary School at Chak 17-P, Neelgarh. The three teachers tortured them, snatched their mobile phones and destroyed polio vaccine, depriving students of the medicine.

When lady health worker Amna Hameed along with her son Shoaib reached a house in Mauza Ghunyan, Masood Khan came out with a gun and threatened to shoot her if she insisted on getting his kids vaccinated.

Khanpur Saddar police have registered separate cases under sections 506 and 186.

District Coordination Officer Nabeel Javaid said the first incident was a scuffle between teachers not an attack on a polio team and police arrested the teacher involved in the incident.

The DCO said he was investigating the second incident in which a woman worker was threatened.

He said the district administration was responsible for the protection of polio teams, adding the police had been directed to take extra security measures.

A police official, requesting anonymity, told Dawn that police were reluctant to arrest Masood Khan because of his strong political links.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd , 2014