Alleged torture: No evidence of school teacher being shot

Provincial medical board findings dispute claim against former MPA.

LAHORE:

The findings of the Provincial Standing Medical Board (PSMB) might do the credibility of the school teacher, who has accused former MPA Aslam Madhyana of torturing him, more harm than good.

The board found no evidence to support the complainant’s claim that he had been shot in the legs, a member requesting anonymity told The Express Tribune.

The member said that the fractures could have been caused by blows of some blunt weapons.

This is the third medical examination conducted at Nafees Ahmed Lodhi’s request.

He had stated, in the FIR and before court, that Madhyana had shot him in the legs. Lodhi had claimed that Madhyana had used a Kalashnikov rifle to “get back [at Lodhi] for registering a complaint against Madhyana with the district police officer (DPO)”.

Earlier, an initial medico-legal examination (IMLE) and a District Standing Medical Broad had declared that there was no evidence to support that bullets had broken Lodhi’s legs.

Lodhi had challenged these reports and requested that a Provincial Standing Medical Board, headed by Punjab medico-legal surgeon, be formed for re-examination.

One of the board members there had been pressure to report that Lodhi had been shot.

According to the FIR, registered at the Midh Ranjha police station in Sargodha district, Madhyana and 10 accomplices attacked the 60-year-old school teacher. The FIR was registered under Sections 324 (attempted murder), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon, 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 355 (assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour person, other than on grave provocation) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 (creating civil commotion) of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1999. Seven people, including Madhyana, have been arrested whereas four others have been declared absconders.

The investigating officer recovered two pistols from the suspects, said a police officer of Midh Ranjah who spoke on condition of anonymity.

According to him, Lodhi was taken to the district headquarters hospital for an initial medico-legal examination. No evidence was reported to support the complainant’s claim that he had been shot. Later, at Lodhi’s request, the judicial magistrate had ordered the constitution of a District Standing Medical Broad, headed by the DHQ Hospital medical superintendent, to reconduct the medical exam. The DSMB seconded the IMLE report.

After Lodhi challenged the DSMB findings, the health secretary constituted an eight-member board headed by the medico legal surgeon. The members visited Lodhi in hospital and examined the wounds. Lodhi’s bullet-ridden clothes were also sent to the Forensic Science Authority for analysis.

According to a board member, wounds on Lodhi’s legs did not conform to entry-exit description. No bullet shrapnel was found in the legs either.

The board will soon submit the report to the Punjab government and the court.

MPA Chaudhry Muhammad Awais Aslam Madhyana, the former MPA’s son, said that Lodhi’s legs had been fractured in an accident. He said that Lodhi had been hit by a truck. He did not give the date of the alleged accident.

Awais said that Lodhi had registered the case at the “ruling party’s behest”.

The Supreme Court took suo motu notice of the incident and will hear the case on March 28 (tomorrow). The chief justice of Pakistan has directed the Inspector General of Punjab Police to investigate the matter personally and submit a report. He has also directed him to inform the court as to whether or not Sargodha’s District Police Officer, Dr Rizwan, had been transferred to Gilgit-Baltistan, because he had intended to take action against Madhyana.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2012.