- Lecturer found serving as govt school teacher simultaneously.
- Principal and wife secure bail; two suspects still absconding.
- Protests end after arrest; inquiry committees formed.
MIRPURKHAS: A pharmacy lecturer at a private medical college, who was also serving as a government primary school teacher, has been arrested in a case involving alleged harassment and the death of a female medical student in Mirpurkhas district.
Fehmida Leghari, a third-year medical student, allegedly shot herself to death at her residence in Satellite Town three days earlier. Her body was recovered with a bullet wound, and a post-mortem examination was conducted while her mobile phone was taken into custody.
According to the initial post-mortem report, the bullet struck the left side of her chest, damaged the heart and passed through the body, with death occurring about an hour after the injury.
The victim’s sister told police that the student had complained about harassment by some professors and fellow students at the college.
A first information report (FIR) was later registered on the complaint of the deceased’s uncle, nominating the college principal, his wife, who is also a professor, the lecturer and two students under charges of sexual harassment and abetment to suicide.
Police said the principal and his wife had obtained a 13-day pre-arrest bail from a court, while two other accused remained absconding.
The incident triggered protests, with the victim’s family and residents staging a sit-in at a toll plaza, demanding the arrest of all nominated suspects. The protest caused long queues of vehicles and continued for more than 12 hours, with demonstrators refusing to end it despite police requests.
Protesters, joined by civil society members and a delegation of Sindhiyani Tehreek, vowed to continue the sit-in until arrests were made. However, the heirs and relatives called off their two-day protest sit-in following arrest of one suspect.
The pharmacy lecturer, identified as Abid Leghari, was found to be employed as a primary school teacher in Tando Allah Yar district while also teaching as a pharmacy lecturer at a private medical college for a considerable period, according to the education department.
Following the arrest, Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah suspended the teacher and issued a show-cause notice, stating that individuals with “criminal mindset” would not be tolerated in the education sector.
Earlier, a three-member inquiry committee was formed under the supervision of the SSP, with a report sought within 10 days on the orders of DIG Faisal Abdullah.
Separately, the provincial minister for women’s development Shaheena Sher Ali said an inquiry committee had also been constituted and directed officials to keep police informed, stressing that all aspects of the incident would be thoroughly investigated.
SSP Syed Fida Hussain said the motives behind the suicide were being examined in detail, adding that information was also being collected through confidential channels and the post-mortem report would take a few days.
The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) also took notice of the incident, seeking records from the college and an inquiry report from the Sindh government.
In a statement, the PMDC reiterated its zero-tolerance policy on harassment, warning that strict action would be taken against both individuals and institutions if found guilty. It added that anti-harassment committees were mandatory in all medical and dental colleges and that students could directly lodge complaints.
