The Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB) district officer (DO) Umar Daraz Bhatti appears to have registered two cases against his subordinates for ‘revenge,’ a preliminary investigation report by police says.
The report was submitted to the Madina Town SP by investigation officer People’s Colony Circle ASP Arif Shahbaz Wazeer on Friday.
Meanwhiler, the government started disciplinary action against 11 CPWB employees on Friday on charges of financial corruption, according to an official handout.
DO Bhatti had filed two complaints; one on September 29 against six CPWB employees and another on October 2 against nine employees for “maltreating the children, not giving them food and sexually abusing them.”
The ASP’s preliminary report says “the allegations levelled in both FIRS seem to be motivated by revenge and to harass the employees and hoodwink… authorities.”
It says “The cases have apparently been filed to divert attention from the tussle between the employees and the CPWB DO.”
Madina Town SP Tahir Maqsood told The Express Tribune police had asked DO Bhatti to submit the documentary evidence in support of the charges levelled in the FIRS.
“The complainant has sought adjournment on the pretext that the documents have been submitted to the CPWB headquarters,” Maqsood said.
He said the DO had promised to provide them the documents on Monday (October 8). “The issue is still under investigation, but so far there is insufficient evidence to proceed further,” he said.
Maqsood said the sexual abuse charges were included in the FIR because no medico-legal certificate was provided.
The CPWB Head Office on Friday suspended 11 employees for “financial corruption and…creating hurdles in the functioning of the CPWB.”
The suspension was approved by the consent of the CPWB Director General (DG) Amna Imam. The suspended employees include teacher Zaheer Ahmad, naib qasid Kashif, gardener Haq Nawaz, child attendant Shahid Husian, security guard Riyasat Ali, child attendant Tahir Ali, child attendant Shahbaz Masih, child attendant Iftikhar Husian, child attendant Nasrullah Khan Niazi, cook Ashraf and laundry man Javaid.
Zaheer Ahmad, who says he is the coordinator for the employees, said, “DO Bhatti was corrupt and abusive towards us. We complained against him a month and a half ago but the CPWB headquarters is protecting him.”
He said the employees would encircle the Child Protection Office if the DO was not removed and the cases against them withdrawn.
CPWB DO Umar Daraz Bhatti told The Tribune the employees were protesting to save their skin. “They abused their powers and are trying to stop the CPWB from functioning,” he said.
He said, “Since the matter is being pursued by the CPWB Lahore and the Home Department I cannot reveal the evidence against them to the media.”
Asked if he would share the evidence with the police on Monday, Bhatti said he had sought advice from the CPWB headquarters and would act accordingly.
A handout issued by the Public Relations department issued said on Friday states the government had initiated disciplinary action against CPWB employees for financial corruption.
It said the bureau had not been closed or shifted as speculated by a section of the media. It says “authorities had taken notice of reports that essential items marked for children were being embezzled…by members of staff.”
It said the children at the CPWB Faisalabad had been shifted to Lahore “so bureau officials cannot hurt or harass them. They will return to the Faisalabad bureau soon.” It saiid a few of the children had been sent to other institutions after their age crossed 18 years.
It said “the employees had demanded the transfer of the CPWB DO to hide their shortcomings. He has been found innocent in the investigation.”
It said the Home Department will contact police to act against the employees to “avoid any…unpleasant situation.”
All the men named in the FIRs have been granted interim bails.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 7th, 2012.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ