Justice delayed?: Teenager’s family decry inaction against food joint

Victim died allegedly due to food poisoning after eating a burger at Dilpasand

KARACHI: The mysterious death of Kanza Ahmed, a teenage girl who apparently died due to food poisoning after eating a burger at Dilpasand Sweets, remains embroiled in controversy as investigators await the chemical emanation reports. Police are unwilling to register a case unless they receive the forensic examination report of the leftover of the burger she had consumed. 

Kanza, a student of class eight, died last week and her mother and two younger siblings fell ill, the family claimed, after consuming burgers at the Dilpasand Sweets' North Nazimabad branch. The family had approached the police station to register an FIR against the restaurant but was asked to wait for the chemical examination report.

"Samples of the food consumed have been sent for chemical examination to the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research laboratories and to another chemical examiner," SSP Central Nauman Siddiqi told The Express Tribune on Tuesday. "If the food joint is found to be guilty, proper action will be taken against them." He, however, failed to give any time frame for the results of the examination. "The girl's father, Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, has also sent a sample for examination personally."

When asked, Bari said that no action was taken against the restaurant and they were still waiting for justice. "In other countries, if such a case was reported, the whole eatery would have been sealed for investigation."

He lamented that samples of the food were sent on Monday, four days after his daughter's death. "What else can we expect from this delay?" he questioned angrily. Bari added that he had preserved the leftover burger as evidence.

On the other hand, the fast food joint in question is still operating without any notice from the authorities over the incident. When contacted, a manager at the restaurant denied the charges, saying that thousands of people were served their food daily. "No such case has been reported except for the girls."

He claimed that their branches were certified from the food and hygiene controlling authorities and were routinely checked for hygiene standards.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th, 2015.