MANSEHRA: Residents of Darband area here on Friday took to the streets after a two-year-old girl was pulled out of a well in critical condition five days after she went missing, but died while being shifted to hospital.

The villagers on hearing cries of the girl from inside a dried well informed the police which pulled out the minor from the well on Thursday. She died while being shifted to the district headquarters hospital, Mansehra.

The police have filed an FIR into the case and are awaiting the postmortem report of the girl.

“If police do not arrest the culprits involved in abduction of the minor girl within next 24 hours we will block the Darband-Oghi Road to traffic for

an indefinite period,” Habib Sakhi, former Darband nazim, threatened while speaking to the protesters.

The participants of the rally, which started off from the central Darband Bazaar, marched through various roads and assembled at the central Chowk.

The protesters holding placards raised slogans against the minor’s abduction and absence of doctors at the area’s civil hospital, where she was taken immediately after being pulled out of the well.

Mr Sakhi alleged that the girl was kidnapped some five days ago when she was playing outside her residence. “If police fail to arrest the culprits we will launch an agitation campaign,” he threatened.

Khalid Pervez, another protester, said residents had been protesting for posting of doctors to the civil hospital, but to no avail.

“The girl was pulled out alive by police from the well and could have been saved had there been a doctor at the hospital in Darband. The victim died while being shifted to the district headquarters hospital, Mansehra,” he said.

Meanwhile, district police officer Zaibullah Khan visited the residence of the victim girl and assured the bereaved family that the culprits would be arrested soon.

CRACKDOWN ON THE CARDS: The police decided to launch a crackdown on narcotics peddlers at a monthly meeting here on Friday.

“I want every narcotics peddler behind the bars. Each police station will prepare lists of these people in every village and union council of the district,” DPO Zaibullah Khan told the meeting.

He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police chief and DIG Hazara range wanted the crackdown to be successful.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2019