RAHIM YAR KHAN: The District Anti-Rape Cell has not been established in the district despite announcements by the provincial government to provide immediate justice and medical support to victims.

The DARC is supposed to be headed by the DC while the Shaikh Zayed Hospital (SZMCH) MS and the SP investigation will be its members to provide medical and legal aid to each complainant.

Assistant Commissioner (HR) Ashraf Saleh said the DARC was functional at the SZMCH and providing immediate help to victims. But SZMCH MS Dr Agha Touhid was not aware of the existence of such a cell.

The issue surfaced recently when a widow jumped from her apartment to escape a rape attempt but was badly injured in the process.

Civil society activists under the banner of International Human Rights Foundation (IHRF) protested against the police for not taking action against accused.

Talat Bibi, a widow and mother of a 10-year old boy, had jumped from the first floor of her apartment to escape the rape attempt. In the process, she had her spine damaged and right leg fractured.

IHRF divisional president Suleman Khan Akakhail said Talat, also a rights activist, was working with the Samaaj Development Foundation. She was attacked by a DC office employee a month ago. Neighbours caught the attacker, identified as Muhammad Nadeem Akhtar, and handed him over to police. His two accomplices succeeded to escape from the scene.

Police shifted Talat to the Shaikh Zayed Hospital. The city police registered an FIR under section 452 of Pakistan Penal Code against Akhtar.

Talat told police Akhtar was an employee of the School Education Department working in the DC office. She said in the hospital some relatives of the accused pressurised her for a settlement. She alleged that SZMCH on the pressure of the accused did not issue a medicolegal certificate (MLC) to her and discharged her the next day without completing the treatment.

Meanwhile, the police allegedly changed the sections of FIR and submitted a different FIR to the court of magistrate after getting a ‘fake’ mental illness certificate of the accused from a psychiatrist. This earned him bail.

Talat Bibi filed an application with the RYK deputy commissioner on Nov 1. Assistant Commissioner (HR) Ashraf Saleh said the application had been marked to District Education Authority Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Aslam who would report after investigation in five days. The CEO was not available despite repeated calls at his mobile phone.

SZMCH focal person DMS Rana Ilyas Ahmed told Dawn that he would be able to provide details about Talat Bibi after consulting the orthopaedicdepartment. He said SZMCH did not hold any MLC.

SDF RYK Programme Manager Muhammad Zubair said the organisation had no resources to help Talat financially and legally.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2023