‘Half-fry’ victim: SHC calls for JPMC report on treatment of Hindu doctor

Dr Deepak Kumar critically injured in encounter after police dubbed him 'dacoit'.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) called on Friday a report from Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) authorities regarding provision of medical treatment to a Hindu doctor, who is allegedly left disabled by police torture after he was dubbed a 'notorious dacoit'.

SHC Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, who headed the division bench, called the report to see the nature of injures allegedly inflicted on Dr Deepak Kumar.

Earlier, the Hyderabad DIG informed the bench that the inquiry of the alleged torture was assigned to Hyderabad SSP, who may be in better position to tell the court about facts of the case. The two judges directed the authorities at JPMC, where the survivor of torture is under treatment, to file a report about the medical treatment being provided to Dr Kumar.

Kumar, a resident of Karachi's Korangi neighbourhood, had taken the provincial home secretary, the chief secretary, the Sindh police IG, the Hyderabad police's DIG, SSP and SITE police station SHO to the court for allegedly disabling him when they dubbed as notorious dacoit, Sharif Panhwar, and tortured him.

A psychiatrist by profession, Dr Kumar went to the visit his relatives living in Fateh Chowk in SITE area of district Hyderabad on April 10 but did not return. His wife, Suneeta Kumar, said through the media that she came to know that SITE police had arrested her husband by dubbing him as infamous dacoit Sharif Panhwar in an encounter in which he was seriously injured.

She alleged that the her husband was kept at SITE police station, where the official forced him to confess that he is dacoit Sharif Panhwar but he refused to give such fake confessional statement. When he refused, the police officials hit Kumar in his leg with the butts of the rifle and kicked his face and stomach.

The doctors had to amputate his left leg above the knee, the petitioner told the judges.

Her lawyer, Amanullah Sheikh, pleaded the court order the provincial authorities to provide full medical treatment to the petitioner's disabled husband and submit entire medical record in the court as well. It was also requested to order the respondents to compensate the Dr Kumar for causing his physical disability.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2016.