43 booked for inciting public against minor girl’s family

A 10-year-old girl, who worked at the Haveli of Asad Shah, died on August 14

HYDRABAD:

In the case of suspected child abuse causing death of a minor girl, Khairpur police have lodged a new First Information Report (FIR), booking 43 persons for inciting local people against the police and the bereaved family.

The complaint was lodged on the state's complaint by Assistant Sub Inspector Syed Asghar Shah at the Ranipur police station, nominating three subordinate associates of the prime accused of the case, Syed Asad Ali Shah.

According to the complainant, he came to know about a congregation of the people organised by the caretakers of the shrine whose custodian is Asad Shah.

He stated in his FIR that he witnessed Ali Hassan Mallah, Muneer Abbass Solangi and Akram inciting the people against the police and the family of deceased 10-year-old Fatime Phuriro.

Read Minor housemaid’s postmortem report reveals torture, rape

Mallah has allegedly also accused DIG Sukkur Range Javed Jiskani for demanding Rs30 million bribe to facilitate the accused in the case of the heinous crime.

A medical board consisting eight doctors conducted postmortem of the deceased after the exhumation of her dead body on August 19.

The initial post-mortem report mentioned physical abuse and possible rape.

Reportedly, the child, who worked at the Haveli of Asad Shah, had died on August 14. Her death was initially cloaked as a natural death caused by illness but a video of the deceased writhing in pain with the wife of Asad, Syeda Hina Shah, standing near her hinted towards torture. Meanwhile, the girl's mother Shabnum Phuriro submitted an application to the police to nominate Hina's father Syed Fayaz Shah in the murder FIR.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th, 2023.