DPO defends accused: Man unleashed dog against 70-year-old woman: relatives
By Mohammad Hussain Khan
HYDERABAD: Seventy-year-old Ms Saleemat Sahto who is being treated for dog-bite at the Hyderabad civil hospital claims a man unleashed his dog against her in Ali Mohammad Sahto village of Tando Mohammad Khan district on Thursday.
She has been administered first dose of anti-rabies vaccine and her condition is reported to be out of danger.
Her son Mohammad Anwar, a labourer, her brother Hussain Bux and his daughter and her daughter-in-law Zubeda, a primary schoolteacher, stay with her as attendants.
Hussain Bux said that Ms Saleemat, who was also a member of the school management committee of the same school where her daughter-in-law taught, had gone to Ali Mohammad Sahto village to settle a dispute with Atta Mohammad Sehto who accused Ms Zubeda of treating his daughter Majida, a fifth class student, unfairly.
He said that Zubeda had snubbed Majida over some education-related issue and had allegedly slapped her on Wednesday. The girl told her father and mother, Ms Bachai who, according to Anwar, rushed to the school and misbehaved with Zubeda, hurling abuses at her.
Atta Mohammad also threatened her with serious consequences and said that he would get her services terminated.
Ms Saleemat went to Atta Mohammad’s house located in the same locality to settle the dispute and the moment she knocked at the door, Atta unleashed his pet dog against her which bit her right leg before people came to her rescue after hearing her screams, Hussaid Bux said.
She was taken to taluka hospital from where she was shifted to civil hospital Hyderabad on Friday. She has also some problem on pelvis region for which X-ray has been conducted.
Anwar alleged that Atta Mohammad was an arrogant man and was involved in criminal activities.
He said that doctors had not examined her properly while the doctor on duty said that first dose of anti-rabies vaccine had been administered to her and an orthopaedic doctor had examined her.
The doctor said that she was brought to the medical ward with complaints of chest congestion.
Ms Saleemat rejected her family’s claim that she was not being treated properly and said “out of personal enmity, Atta Mohammad unleashed his dog against me”. She never imagined that she would be subjected to such humiliation, she said.
A local coordinator of Aurat Foundation, Faiz Mohammad Solangi, has announced protests will be held in the district against the inhuman incident while social worker, Zulekha Sahto, demanded arrest of the accused.
Atta Mohammad was out of reach while his wife Ms Bachai reached Tando Mohammad Khan police station for interrogation.
No formal FIR has been lodged so far and only a letter for medical treatment has been issued to the elderly woman.
Tando Mohammad Khan DPO Zulfikar Mahar rejected allegations that a dog had been unleashed against the woman and termed the incident an accident.
In fact, a personal enmity simmered between families of Atta and Saleemat Sahto, who were also neighbours, he said, adding that one Ms Nafeela, daughter of Saleemat’s cousin had married Munaf, who was close to Atta Mohammad and was his next door neighbour. Besides, the recent dispute over Majida, he said.
He said that Atta Mohammad had made complaints that ghee, which was to be distributed among students under the government’s programme, was not being distributed properly in the school.
Mr Atta had certainly a pet dog but it appeared from circumstances that Ms Saleemat’s claim that it had been unleashed against her was not true, said the DPO.
He claimed the dog, which was licking at blood left there after a buffalo gave birth to a calf, attacked Ms Saleemat who was passing near it at that time.
Source: Dawn
Date:10/10/2009
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