Cleric beats 8-year-old madrassah student to death, gets arrested

A madrassah teacher in Karachi’s Bin Qasim Town area allegedly beat his student to death on Sunday.

The area’s SHO Dhani Bux Marri told a local newspaper that the deceased, Mohammed Hussain, had been subjected to corporal punishments by Qari Najmuddin in the past as well, due to which he had run away from the seminary.

However, the child’s parents on Sunday brought him back to the seminary when he tried to flee again. Najmuddin got hold of him this time and allegedly beat him with a stick and another blunt weapon. Police confirmed there were visible signs of torture on the boy’s body.

Qari Najmuddin was arrested despite the fact SSP Malir Adeel Hussain Chandio said the victim’s parents were reluctant to press charges.

Bin Qasim Town SHO added that the parents even refused to get a post-mortem examination of the dead body done.

However, he said the police would lodge a first investigation report against the cleric on behalf of the state even if the family refused to pursue the case legally.

It is pertinent to mention here that corporal punishment is prohibited in Sindh because of a law passed by the provincial assembly in February 2017.