Family rejects report as police declare Abdul Basit’s death a suicide

Karachi

Family members and relatives of Abdul Basit Jamal, a final year student at the Hamdard University who had apparently set himself on fire on Monday after missing his exam, staged a sit-in against the university administration and police at the Noorani Roundabout, Shaheed-e-Millat Road, on Wednesday.

The group of around 50 protesters insisted that the medical student, who died at the burns ward of the Civil Hospital Karachi in the wee hours of Tuesday, could not end his own life and demanded of the authorities to probe into the matter.  On the other hand, the preliminary investigation report issued by the police declared Basit had taken his own life by self-immolation.

“Basit took the extreme step out of disappointment,” said DIG West Feroz Shah.

However, the protesters didn’t look convince with what police declared about the late student as they remained on street for around an hour in the evening due to which the traffic police diverted the vehicular movement from the Tariq Road intersection to Sindhi Muslim; from the Ferozeabad Section area to Sharea Faisal and from the Society Office to Kashmir Road.

The family claimed that not a single government official as well as any senior police officer cared to meet and listen to their complaints. They alleged that the police didn’t want to investigate the matter fairly.

They demanded of the authorities to arrest Dr Farhat, Dr Nadeem Khokar, Dr Abrar and Dr Furqan of the Hamdard University.

They also expressed their displeasure on media reports which stated that Basit had ended his own life. 

“He was killed,” a protester declared. “He did not end his own life. We demand of the chief justice of the Sindh High Court, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the director general of the Sindh Rangers and the Sindh governor to take serious notice of this issue.”