Parents in Darya Khan fearful for children’s safety

Parents have started to personally pick and drop their children to and from school

BHAKKAR:  

Exactly a month after the body of seven-year-old H* was discovered in Darya Khan tehsil, parents living in the area are fearful for the safety of their children as the accused still remains at large.

On December 13, 2018, seven-year-old H*, a resident of Kotla Jam went missing on his way home from school. Frantic with worry, his parents registered a case at the police station after which a search operation was launched. Despite officials’ best efforts to recover the child, his mutilated body was recovered from fields in Darya Khan, near the Government Primary School, on December 24.

In a press conference, Bhakkar DPO Sahista Nadeem assured residents that the accused will soon be apprehended. But even though raids have been conducted and the DNA of at least 50 suspects has been screened, there has been no progress.

As a result, residents, especially parents have become fearful. Many have started to personally pick and drop their children to and from school in order to ensure their safety.

“In the last few months, several such incidents have happened which has made parents fearful of sending their children to school. Since studying is an important necessity, many are escorting their kids to and from school,” says one resident.

Parents demanded that higher authorities take notice of the issue and apprehend the accused so that another such incident can be prevented in the future. But despite these concerns, no guard or security cameras have been deputed outside of the school where H* used to study at.

On the other hand, the victim’s father has appealed to higher authorities to arrest the accused so that a similar incident can be prevented from occurring.