The city police booked three officials of Pakistan International Public School (PIPS), including the owner of the school, on charges of murdering a student without intention on Wednesday.
Raja Abdul Mubeen, a seventh grader and boarder at PIPS, committed suicide on Sunday evening, leaving behind a suicide note in which he held the hostel administration responsible. In his personal diary, he had also noted the pain that he underwent due to the “unbecoming” behaviour of his teachers.
His father, Muhammad Rafiq, a local trader, lodged a complaint with the city police station seeking registration of a criminal case against the school administration and the class teacher who would often punish his son.
On Tuesday, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Amir Haider Hoti ordered a probe into the circumstances leading to the incident.
However, the police registered an FIR against PIPS owner and Managing Director Brig (retd) Ehjaz Akbar, PIPS Principal Brig (retd) Ehsan and a teacher Sohrab Khan Jadoon under section 322/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). However, no arrest was made till the filing of this report.
According to section 321 of the PPC, Qatl-bis-sabab (murder without intention) is defined as, “Whoever, without any intention to cause death of, or cause harm to, any person, does any unlawful act which becomes a cause for the death of another person, is said to commit qatl-bis-sabab.” Under section 322, whosoever commits qatl-bis-sabab shall be liable to pay diyat (blood money).
According to the investigation officer Mushtaq Shah, the police will investigate all aspects of the case.
Meanwhile, the class teacher Sohrab, while recording his statement, told the police said that he never punished Mubeen but imposed a fine of Rs5 fine for speaking Urdu in class, which was against the school rules. He confessed to snatching a picture of Mubeen’s mother, which he claimed the student would stare at for hours during study hours.
Some alumni of the school protested over Mubeen’s suicide at Mandiyan Chowk and chanted slogans against the administration.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 31st, 2012.
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