HYDERABAD, Oct 23: A team of doctors has warned that tobacco use through nostrils and tobacco chewing may cause irrational behaviour and neurological diseases.

The district health authorities had constituted a medical team comprising nine doctors of different disciplines to investigate and evaluate reports about neurological and psychiatric diseases in Jehnan Soomro village in Tando Mohammad Khan taluka.

The team visited the village and surrounding areas and diagnosed 18 patients from five to 17 years of age.

The team members said no patients with neurological disorders and psychiatric diseases were found except symptom of suspected encephalitis or cerebral malaria in a baby, Asma and she was referred to Tando Mohammad Khan taluka hospital for the investigation.

They said the patients had some complaints of irritability, fighting with others and irrational behaviour when examined clinically.

The doctors were of view that might be due to taking over doses of Nas (nostril use of tobacco) and Naswar (tobacco chewing) which the patients had been using for many years.

PROTEST: Relatives of a boy, Rajab Ali, held a protest demonstration outside the office of the DPO here on Saturday, demanding action against Hatri police officials for allegedly favouring accused in the murder case of Rajab Ali.

They were led by the father of the deceased, Mohammad Shafi, and the mother, Janat.

Raising slogans against the police officials for delaying submission of charge-sheet in the case against the accused, the protesters said the accused were being provided all kinds of facilities at the police station.

They accused police of taking bribe from the accused to delay the submission of the charge-sheet. They demanded a fair investigation into the matter.