Multan school guard arrested over assault of sixth-grade girl

MULTAN: A security guard at a government girls school in Multan has been arrested after a sixth-grade student accused him of sexual assault, police said, in a case that has raised questions about how schools in Punjab recruit and supervise the staff who guard them.

The accused was identified by police as Munir Ahmed, who was posted at the Girls Elementary School in Sadiqabad and was on duty at the school canteen and main entrance, according to the account published by Minute Mirror.

According to the FIR registered on the complaint of the girl's family, the guard called the student to the canteen on some pretext and assaulted her there, then threatened to kill members of her family if she told anyone at home.

The girl remained silent for two days. When her condition deteriorated and her parents asked what was wrong, she told them what had happened, after which the family went to the local police station and had the case registered against the guard.

City Police Officer Multan Akhtar Farooq said the victim was sent for medical examination immediately and that the initial report had confirmed the assault. "The accused is in custody and is being interrogated, further legal action is being taken in accordance with the law," he said, adding that no negligence on the protection of children would be tolerated.

Police said the case was registered under Section 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code and that the accused was to be produced before a court to seek physical remand.

The District Education Authority has sought an explanation from the school's headmistress over how a student was able to go to the canteen during school hours and where the staff on duty were at the time. Parents in the city have asked on what criteria guards are hired for girls' schools and why their verification is not carried out.

Separately, ARY News reported that police in Kot Addu in southern Punjab had arrested a suspect accused of sexually assaulting a three-year-old girl, an incident unconnected to the Multan case. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif said in a post on X that the man had been traced through CCTV footage and arrested within two hours of the incident. Police said the child was being treated at Nishtar Hospital in Multan, and that the FIR was registered on the complaint of her father in Chak 571 TDA.