MULTAN: A minor girl who was allegedly tortured by clerics of a religious seminary died at the Nishtar Hospital due to alleged negligence of the hospital staff.

Muhammad Jamil told Qadirpur Raan police that he got nine children of his family admitted to Madrassa Darul Uloom Hanfia four months ago.

On July 28, three children returned from madrassa and told him that five people, including caretaker Abdul Haq, two women and two unidentified people, tortured them, including his eight-year-old daughter Mahnoor and hung her upside down.

He immediately went to the madrassa and found Mahnoor with marks of injuries on her face, arms, neck and other parts of the body. She was rushed to Nishtar Hospital as lower half of her body appeared to be paralysed.

Police lodged an FIR under Section 342 of PPC on Aug 3. The main suspect was released on bail two days later.

Mahnoor`s family protested against the hospital administration`s alleged negligence and blocked Nishtar Road outside the hospital.

Commissioner Nadim Irshad Kayani directed that an inquiry be conducted, and constituted a three-member committee, including Additional Commissioner Tanveer Iqbal, City Assistant Commissioner (AC) Agha Zaheer Abbas Sherazi and Children Hospital professor of surgery Dr Kashif Chishti.

The committee was directed to submit a report within three days.

Nishtar MedicalUniversity Vice Chancellor Dr Mustafa Kamal Pasha also constituted a four-member inquiry committee and directed it to submit a report within 24 hours.

Qadirpur Raan SHO Abdul Karim claime d police had arrested the main suspect after Section 302 was added to the FIR. `Police are conducting raids to arrest the remaining suspects,` he claimed.