HYDERABAD, Sept 24: The Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit bench, here on Tuesday, in two separate constitutional petitions, appointed the district and sessions judges of Dadu and Hyderabad inquiry officers to hold inquiry into the allegations of harassment, levelled against the SDA leaders, Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah and Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim.

The court directed that the inquiry reports should be submitted by Oct 25. Both the judges were directed to examine both the parties and their witnesses and then fix responsibilities.

The police officials were asked not to harass the petitioners’ families.

Syed Shahabuddin Shah alias Mir Shah filed his petition against Jalal Shah, saying that being his political rival, Shah was harming his family socially and economically.

Lawyer Shaukat Ali Pathan said that his client and his family members were implicated in 19 false criminal cases in which they were acquitted.

He said that there were two residential plots in Sann town duly allotted in the petitioner’s name in 1984, where he was residing and recently started repair and construction.

He said that it was not liked by Jalal Shah who instigated the Sann taluka and union council Nazimeen to get the work stopped through the local police.

He claimed that in response to the petitioner’s earlier petition, the police assured the court that they would not harass him, with the result that the construction work was resumed, which annoyed Jalal Shah.

He alleged that on June 10, the respondents - Jalal Shah, Abdullah Shah, Khuda Bux Joyo and Ghulam Qadir— gathered 100 armed criminals and attacked the petitioner, his sons, nephew, brother and 10 labourers, engaged in the construction work. They looted everything available on the site. The petitioner said that they also fired at him but he remained unhurt.

He said that when he approached the police, they refused to lodge his complaint. He prayed the court to direct the respondent police officials to register his FIR.

The other constitutional petition was filed against Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Diplo SHO, Mithi TPO and DPO and Allah Bachayo by Ghulam Mustafa Lund and Mubarak Lund.

The petitioners said that on August 16 Arbab, Allah Bachayo, Pir Bux Arbab, Soomar and others attacked their village and houses, threatening and maltreating them.

They alleged that Arbab and Allah Bachayo had an eye on their valuable lands and wanted to get them vacated through harassment. They said that on August 16 Allah Bachayo, Hakeem, Wali Mohammad, Latif and Younus with some police officials again attacked their houses and tortured the inmates.

They accused the respondents of having robbed gold ornaments, Rs18,000 and warning that if any complaint was made, they would face the music.

The police refused to lodge their FIR without instructions of DPO or DIG, they said and added that they sent telegrams but no action was taken by the police and the accused continued to harass them.

They prayed the court to direct the police to lodge their FIR against the assailants for the offences committed by them. They also said the respondents be directed to refrain from harassing them and their relatives.