A pharmacy lecturer at a private medical college has been arrested in connection with the alleged harassment and suicide of a female medical student in the Mirpurkhas district.
Fehmida Leghari, a third-year medical student, reportedly took her own life by shooting herself at her home in Satellite Town three days prior.
Her body was discovered with a gunshot wound, and a post-mortem examination was performed while her mobile phone was seized by authorities.
The preliminary post-mortem report indicated that the bullet entered the left side of her chest, inflicted damage to the heart, and exited the body, with death occurring approximately one hour after the injury.
The victim’s sister informed the police that the student had expressed concerns about harassment from certain professors and fellow students at the college.
FIR report filed against lecturer and wife
A first information report (FIR) was then filed based on the complaint of the deceased’s uncle, naming the college principal, his wife who is also a professor the lecturer, and two students on charges of harassment and abetment to suicide.
Authorities stated that the principal and his wife had secured a 13-day pre-arrest bail from a court, while the other two accused individuals remain at large.
Following the news of the incident, the medical student suicide case sparked protests in Mirpurkhas, with the victim’s family and local residents staging a sit-in at a toll plaza, demanding the arrest of all individuals named in the complaint.
The pharmacy lecturer, identified as Abid Leghari, was found to be working as a primary school teacher in Tando Allah Yar district while also serving as a pharmacy lecturer at a private medical college for an extended period, as reported by the education department.
Leghari was later brought before a judicial magistrate in Mirpurkhas, who ordered him to be held in police custody for four days.
In the wake of the arrest, Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah suspended the teacher and issued a show-cause notice.
MBBS student suicide cases on the rise
The case comes after a 22-year-old final-year student of Fatima Jinnah Medical College, Fareeha Afrahim, died after a suicide attempt at the university’s hostel in Lahore.
Fareeha reportedly jumped from the third floor of her hostel in the evening and was immediately taken to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
Additionally, in response to the increasing number of suicide attempts by MBBS students, a committee led by Prof Faiza Athar is expected to offer counselling services to students at Ameer-ud-Din Medical College (AMC).
As part of this initiative, it was decided that a group of qualified psychiatrists and psychologists would be accessible daily to provide guidance and professional assistance to the students.
Read more: Female student dies in suicide attempt at Lahore’s Fatima Jinnah Medical University
