Attackers still at large as ninth-grader returns to school

Court to decide bail pleas of assault, kidnapping suspects

ISLAMABAD:

A ninth-grade student who survived an assault and abduction attempt outside his school in Islamabad returned to class nearly a month after the attack even as his attackers remained free with the family accusing the police of failing to take action.

Haider Shah, the father of the 15-year-old student at Islamabad model colleges, for Boys G-13/2, told The Express Tribune that his family was still being threatened to withdraw their complaint from ‘suspicious numbers and from sources’ but there had been no action on the part of the authorities.

According to Shah, the incident occurred last month after a playground argument between Shah’s son and two other students.

The first information report (FIR), registered at the Sumbul police station on September 19 by Shah’s elder son Hamza, stated that he had gone to pick up his brother from school on the day of the incident. When his brother emerged from the gate, around ten people armed with sticks, rods and knives who were waiting outside pounced on him.

It stated that the two students – Tayyab and Aryan – had called Mehboob Ilahi and Ali of Chello village in the adjoining area, who brought six other ‘goons’ with them.

The family provided screenshots and closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, which they said had been shared with the police that identified ten attackers.

The complainant stated he tried to protect his brother after which he was also attacked. The two brothers received head injuries, with the 15-year-old’s medical report showing that he had a gash at the back of his head, bruised eye, likely caused by a blunt instrument. He also had swelling on the shoulder and wrist.

The complaint stated that the attackers tried to abduct his brother who was only able to escape after the intervention of locals and residents, including those returning from the mosque after afternoon prayers. The FIR stated that they also took a cell phone and Rs500,000 in cash from the complainant.

The complaint included sections 382 (theft), 506 (criminal intimidation), 148 (rioting with a deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly) as well as 337-A(i), 337-A(ii) and 337-F(i) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Efforts to contact the investigation officer did not result in a response. Sumbul Station House Officer (SHO) said that the accused had applied for bail before arrest and investigation would resume after the verdict. The hearing is set for today (Thursday).

Shah said that his son returned to school earlier this week after more than three weeks at home recovering from the physical and psychological trauma of the attack.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5th, 2023.

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