Regardless of the allegations against him, while he was giving his exam, he should have not been in handcuffs.
ISLAMABAD: A recent news report saddened me when I saw a young school boy in handcuffs, accompanied by two policemen, being taken to an examination centre. The 13-year-old from Vehari was accused of stealing things like furniture and a stove from a landlord’s home. The boy, however, defended himself saying that he couldn’t lift such heavy items so his stealing them was out of the question.
The boy is in class nine and said that he had had to beg the policemen to take him to the exam centre, because he didn’t want to waste one important year of his education. According to his parents, their son is a hardworking student. The police officials kept the boy handcuffed while he was writing, which according to the boy was embarrassing, not to mention discomforting. Regardless of the truthfulness of the allegations against him, while he was giving his exam, he should have not been in handcuffs, since he wasn’t a hardened criminal.
It is important to educate and sensitise our police so that they can act more responsibly. This incident clearly points towards the apathy of police officials towards the boy and his education. According to a survey, there is an education emergency in Pakistan, so we cannot afford to discourage those who are doing their very best to get an education.
Zainab Ali
Published in The Express Tribune, April 6th, 2011.
