MUZAFFARGARH: A woman district education officer (DEO) was thrashed and later confined in a room for two hours allegedly by a male secondary schoolteacher (SST) when she visited his school on Friday to probe into allegations of torture against him. A ‘ruling’ MPA is allegedly guarding the delinquent teacher against any possible police action till the filing of this report.

DEO (Secondary) Khalida Shaheen had suspended SST Akram Rind of Government High School Taunsa Barrage three days ago on charges of torturing high school headmaster Kazim Shah.

On Friday, sources said, DEO Khalida visited the high school to conduct an inquiry against the SST. When the DEO reached the school, Rind caught hold of her, thrashed her and later locked her up in a room.

Rind’s two accomplices resorted to aerial firing to frighten the other teachers and also snatched mobile phones from DEO’s staff Manzoor and Aziz.

Some teachers, however, succeeded in informing the Daira Din Panah police which reached the spot after two hours and rescued the lady officer from detention. The police arrested Rind, however, his accomplices fled.

Talking to Dawn, DEO Khalida said that though the police had arrested her subordinate, he was being given VVIP protocol in the police station and the police were reluctant to register a case.

She alleged that local politicians, including an MPA of the PML-Q’s Unification Bloc, were pressurising her to withdraw the application to register the case.

When contacted, SHO Naser Mahmood said that police were looking into the matter “seriously”.

He said that he was waiting for the “instructions” of MPA Ahmad Yar Hunjra to proceed further in this matter as the suspect was believed to be a staunch supporter of Hunjra.

He admitted that they had not registered the case so far.
Source: Dawn
Date:4/25/2009