KARACHI: Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho on Thursday constituted an inquiry committee after a final year MBBS student at Peoples University of Medical and Health Sciences for Women (PUMHS) in Nawabshah levelled serious allegations against three varsity officials.
Parveen Rind, who was doing her house job at the varsity’s nursing section, claimed in a video uploaded on social media that the three officials – including varsity’s director – beat her up after locking her in the hostel.
The medical student also showed torture marks on her arms in the video and said that she was being forced by the officials to follow their “unethical” orders.
In this regard, the provincial minister a three-member inquiry committee. Sindh Health Services Director General Dr Mohammad Juman Bahooto will be the chairman of the committee while Dr Shahabuddin Qureshi, deputy director general Directorate of Health Services, and Dr Rukhsana Channar, additional director, are the other members.
According to the notification, the committee will follow the provisions and regulations of the Harassment Act while conducting the inquiry.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the committee informed the PUMHS vice-chancellor that he would conduct an inquiry into the incident on February 11 (tomorrow) at 10am. He requested the vice-chancellor to ensure the availability of all concerned officers/officials at this time and to also ensure Rind’s presence.
Rind protests outside press club
Parenn Rind has held a sit-in outside Nawabshah Press Club against torture and harassment by the varsity’s officials on Thursday.
The victim medical student continued holding sit-in outside Nawabshah Press Club which is being attended by civil society and workers of a nationalist party.
Perveen Baloch said that she will continue the sit-in until justice is provided to her. She rejected the inquiry committee constituted by the People’s University vice-chancellor. The medical student alleged that the vice-chancellor of the varsity was supporting the accused persons.
The allegations
In the video uploaded on social media, Rind alleged that the three PUMHS officials had been harassing her since her first year in the MBBS programme at the university.
She said that they attempted to kill her like other girls before her. Earlier, the trio had also tried to snatch her mobile phone to blackmail her after they failed to force her into submission, she said.
She said that no student had committed suicide at hostels, apparently referring to the mysterious deaths of Dr Nimrita and Dr Nosheen Shah in their hostel rooms in Chandka Medical College, Larkana, Naila Rind’s death in her hostel room in Sindh University, and Dr Asmat Rajput’s ‘suicide’ in her home in Sita Road town. All had been killed, she claimed.
