PESHAWAR, Nov 16: The NWFP government has adopted silence over registration of an FIR against employees of the City Government Higher Secondary School No.3 allegedly involved in sexual abuse of students.
It is learnt that last month the provincial government and a sub-committee of the NWFP Assembly constituted for probing the issue had sought opinion of the provincial law department about registration of an FIR regarding the issue.
In a meeting of the sub-committee on Oct 17, law department deputy secretary Saleem Khan said on the basis of the available evidence and information an FIR could be registered against the employees involved in the heinous offence for over two decades.
In its report the sub-committee pointed out that its chairman Habibur Rehman and member Khalid Waqar Chamkani had also met the NWFP chief minister who had assured them that the government would not oppose registration of the FIR against the culprits.
The law department was of the opinion that the act of the employees was a criminal offence for which they could be prosecuted under the law.
However, despite the passage of a month the government has not taken any decision whether to register the case or not.
It is learnt that the government is under pressure from different teachers associations for not registering the FIR. Some of the teachers’ leaders had requested the government that five of the employees had already been suspended and no further action should be taken against them, said an official of the school and literacy department.
The teachers had staged various protest meetings here, saying that registration of criminal cases against the individuals involved in the said act would demoralise the teachers community.
They have reportedly requested the government that only departmental action should be taken against the suspects and no criminal proceedings be held.
On Sept 27, the NWFP Assembly had referred the issue to the standing committee on schools and literacy which directed the sub-committee to inquire into the issue.
The sub-committee was headed by Habibur Rehman and had three other members, Ms Farah Aqil Shah, Khalid Waqar Chamkani and Mukhtiar Ali.
Earlier, a committee of parents had conducted an inquiry in September and also examined owners of various hotels situated near the school. However, sources said instead of submitting the original report to the education department that committee had submitted a very short report in which the issue was diluted to great extent.