KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) chief justice has taken suo motu notice of the alleged sexual harassment and torture against medical student Parveen Rind at the Peoples University of Medical and Health Sciences for Women (PUMHS) in Nawabshah.
The court has summoned Shaheed Benazirabad Deputy Inspector general of Police (DIG), Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), deputy commissioner and university’s registrar to the next hearing on February 15 and sought reports on the matter also directed the relevant District and Sessions Court judge to submit a separate report on the incident.
Police failed to arrest the accused director of PUMHS Ghulam Mustafa Rajput and other suspects for allegedly harassing and torturing Parveen Rind. Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Shaheed Benazirabad said in a statement that no arrest whereas raids are being conducted to apprehend the accused. However, two lady wardens have been suspended. He said that Perveen Rind has not appeared before the administrative joint inquiry committee.
The paternal uncle of the victim student said that Parveen Rind had already rejected the administrative joint inquiry committee and she will now move court. He demanded to arrest the university’s director and other suspects.
Read more: Committee formed to probe harassment claims against Nawabshah varsity’s officials
Meanwhile, Parveen Rind has expressed distrust in the investigation team formed by the health department and refused to appear before it. Talking to a private channel, Rind reiterated her allegations and claimed that the university’s vice-chancellor and wardens harassed and beat her and threatened to hang her if she raised her voice against them.
The civil society members staged a sit-in outside the Nawabshah Press Club on Thursday, protesting against three officials of PUMHS in Nawabshah for allegedly harassing and trying to kill her.
The Sindh government had constituted a three-member investigation team to probe into the harassment and torture allegations. The investigation team had directed the vice-chancellor to present a report within three days. The Sindh government investigation team will also record statements of Parveen Rind and other accused before presenting a report to the provincial health minister.
Earlier, Rind had accused three officials of the PUMHS trying to kill her when she refused to accept their unethical demands, claiming that some other students were killed for refusing their advances.
Parveen Rind, a resident of Dadu district doing house job at the nursing section of the medical university, alleged that the three officials thrashed her in her hostel room. She also showed torture marks on her arms and alleged being forced to follow unethical demands. She said that the officials attempted to kill her like other girls before her and snatched her mobile phone to blackmail her.
She accused Vice-Chancellor Dr Gulshan Memon of involvement in the crime as he ignored her complaints. Rind further said she neither trusts the inquiry committee formed by the Vice-Chancellor or the SSP. She added that she went to police stations but they did not register FIR against three officials. She appealed to Chief Justice of Supreme Court and SHC to take notice of her appeals and provide ensure.
