Sindh Police take body of 'raped' madrassa student into custody

Madrassa administrator denies allegations, says offenders must be punished if rape is proved

KARACHI: Sharafi Goth Police took the body of a 12-year-old boy, who was a madrassa student and suspected of being raped, into custody and shifted it to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) mortuary on Monday night. However, Wali Khan, the administrator of Jamia Islamia Usman Bin Affan madrassa, where the boy studied, has denied allegations.

According to Khan, the boy, I*, was suffering from fever for the past four days and was taken to a clinic nearby the madrassa. He said the doctor at the clinic referred I to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre after they visited him for a follow-up check-up on Monday, adding that following this, the child was taken to Indus Hospital, where doctors declared I's condition unstable.

Khan claimed that the boy was taken to Indus Hospital at 8:15pm and doctors confirmed his death at 10.30pm. However, doctors at the hospital later approached Zaman Town Police and issued a letter stating that I was already dead when brought to the hospital and that it was suspected that he was raped, said Khan.

Zaman Town Police informed Sharafi Goth Police about the incident, after which the latter took the body into custody and shifted it to JPMC mortuary.

According to JPMC Medico-Legal Officer Dr Aijaz, the report issued by the Indus Hospital stated that I died of cardiac arrest. He further said that postmortem of the body, which was yet to be conducted, would be carried out in the presence of a family member.

I belonged to Upper Dir and was learning Quran by heart at the madrassa, said Khan, adding that the boy's father worked in Saudi Arabia and was informed of the death.

Dismissing allegations that I was raped, he went on to say that 150 students from Karachi and eight from other parts of Pakistan were studying and residing at the madrassa, where they were well looked after. He said that he were to be hanged publicly if it was proved that I was in fact raped and those responsible for the offence were to be punished according to the law.

*INITIAL USED TO PROTECT IDENTITY