Medical student ends life over ‘harassment’

Suspect had forged a marriage certificate to blackmail the victim

HYDERABAD:

A final year medical student allegedly being harassed by a retired soldier allegedly took her life at her home in Seeta Road area of Dadu district late on Saturday.

The police said Asmat Khalid Toor a student of Peoples University of Medical and Health Sciences, Nawabshah, shot herself in the chest.

Police shifted the body to Seeta Road Health Center for legal formalities where Lady Medical Officer Dr Rozina Samo informed the local media that according to the initial examination a fatal gunshot to chest claimed Asmat's life.

The final report, however, is still awaited. Dadu SSP Aijaz Shaikh has given joint investigation of the incident to DSP Younis Rodnani, SHO Gul Beg Khatian of Seeta Road police station and Inspector Benazir Jamali. The deceased's father, Jamil Khalid Toor, blamed a retired soldier Shaman Solangi for harassing her daughter for the last two years.

According to him, Solangi in connivance with a Nikkah Khwan and witnesses prepared a fake marriage certificate. Toor told that they challenged the fake certificate in a local court which declared it fake and ordered the police to register an FIR against all those involved. "We found her too stressed out during the last two weeks," he claimed.

A FIR was also registered at the police station on her father's complaint, nominating Solangi, Nikkah Khawan Hafiz Idrees Shar and witnesses Lakhmeer Solangi, Imdad Jani Solangi and Faiz Solangi, son of the main accused. Shar and Lakhmeer were arrested in separate raids but the prime suspects were still at large.

The SHO said they found Solangi's house locked and the suspect has probably taken refuge somewhere. According to him, Solangi and his son and another witness Imdad have escaped the town. The victim's brother, Qambar Ali Toor, informed that on Friday night she locked the room from inside.

"We rushed to her room after hearing the gunshot at around 3.30am."

The brother blamed the police for not taking sincere efforts to arrest the accused persons. He told that his sister was so stressed that she did not even sit the semester exams. "She returned to our home and then we went to the SSP who consoled her and assured of the police protection."

After that assurance, she returned to the varsity to take her exams. Asmat again returned home after the exams and appeared so distressed that she even stopped taking her meals, the brother said.

"If the government, the police and the society remain indifferent to such acts of harassment, rest assured my sister will not be the last victim who is compelled to take her own life," Qambar said.