Attendant dies after hospital brawl

Family alleges assault; case registered; initial assessment points to cardiac arrest

RAWALPINDI:

A scuffle between a security guard and a patient's attendant at Rawalpindi's Holy Family Hospital (HFH) resulted in the attendant's death on Thursday.

The alleged victim, who became unwell following the altercation, was shifted to the emergency ward where he later passed away. On the complaint of the deceased's brother, police have registered a case against the security guard under the charge of qatl-bil-sabab (unintentional homicide), following post-mortem examination.

According to police, the complainant Muhammad Rashid stated in the First Information Report (FIR) that his brother, Waqas, had visited HFH for their mother's check-up. After completing the consultation, they exited the facility and Waqas went to retrieve the motorcycle from the parking area.

There, a security guard identified as Ehteshamul Haq allegedly initiated a verbal altercation and, moments later, struck Waqas in the face. Waqas fell to the ground, after which the guard allegedly delivered further blows to his chest and upper body.

The complainant said that the guard fled the scene as the family arrived. Waqas was taken back inside the hospital for medical examination, where he subsequently died.

Police said that no weapon was used during the altercation, and the initial medical assessment suggested that death may have resulted from cardiac arrest.

However, a case under Section 322 of the Pakistan Penal Code has been registered, and post-mortem samples have been sent to the Forensic Science Agency for chemical analysis.