Patient’s complaint: Public hospital sweeper arrested on harassment charges

Two ward boys, who were also nominated, at large.

BAHAWALPUR:

A Shaikh Zayed Hospital sweeper was arrested on Wednesday on charge of harassing a woman who was admitted to hospital two days ago.  Two ward boys were also named by the complainant, but have not been arrested so far. 

According to the complainant, a resident of Sardar Garh, her father took her to the hospital on Monday after she drank some chemical following a quarrel with her husband. She said she had left her husband a few weeks ago and had been staying with her parents.

She said on Monday night, the suspects told her father to wait while they took her to another room saying she had been called “for treatment”.

She alleged that the men stripped her and tried to rape her. When she started shouting for help, they fled.

She said she tried to report to the incident to the hospital administration, but no one was there to address the complainant. On Tuesday, she reported the incident to the A-Division police. She said she also filed a complaint with the medical superintendent’s office.

MS Afzal Saqib told The Express Tribune that he had directed Director (Emergency) Col (retired) Manzoor Ahmad to investigate the incident.

Station House Officer Jamshed Shah said that the sweeper had been arrested from his house. He said other suspects were at large.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2013.