Man gunned down: Refusal to conduct autopsy causes protests

Health minister orders an inquiry against DHQ doctors.

GILGIT:

Doctors at the District Headquarter (DHQ) Hospital refused to conduct the autopsy of a man who was gunned down by armed assailants in the vicinity of Gilgit.

Hundreds of people blocked the main road on late Sunday in front of the Gilgit City Police Station in protest.

They were demanding action against doctors for refusing to conduct the autopsy.

Shafie, 20, was killed late Saturday after armed men ambushed his Suzuki car.

Following the protest, the Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) Health Minister Gulbar Khan ordered an inquiry against the doctors at the DHQ Hospital. Relatives of the deceased said that the body was left unattended for 12 hours at the hospital, as doctors refused to conduct the autopsy.

The protesters, carrying the body, blocked the main road for over six hours and burnt tyres, demanding action to be taken against doctors. For fear of escalated tension in the town, the markets were closed down and police increased patrolling on roads. Wasal Khan, a senior police official said that at least five suspects have been arrested for investigation.

“The doctors at DHQ Hospital were already enraged at some of their colleagues who were arrested for conducting a fake autopsy,” said an official requesting anonymity. Earlier, Anti-Terrorism Court in Gilgit had issued arrest warrants of two doctors for conducting a fake post-mortem of a 22-year-old nurse, who was found hanged to death in her hostel room in May.

Five others were also injured in the incidents that occurred in Baseen and Napura, located in the outskirts of Gilgit.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 11^th, 2011.