MIRPURKHAS: 26 detained Haris freed by police - 15 still held hostage by landlord
By Qamaruddin
MIRPURKHAS, March 14: Twenty-six scheduled caste peasants were freed by police from the confinement of a landlord in the jurisdiction of the Jhuddo police station on Saturday night.
The released peasants included women and children.
According to the liberated peasants, police had initially recovered 41 bonded peasants but later handed over 15 of them to the landlord, Laung Chandio. The peasants were held in bondage on land located in the Fazal Bhambhro Union Council area.
Police registered cases against Laung Chandio, his son and 13 other people on the complaint of peasants' families. A heavy contingent of police, led by the area SHO, raided the Laung Chandio village and recovered 41 peasants from wrongful detention of the landlord.
However, after the police left and covered some distance, 15 armed men, including the landlord and his son Soomar Chandio, attacked the police party. The armed men made some policemen and peasants hostages.
The sub-divisional in-charge, investigation, Digri, Sharfuddin Palli, and Digri TPO Ghulam Hussain Bhatti reached the spot and held negotiations with the landlord, who agreed to free 26 of the peasants and policemen.
The landlord however kept 15 peasants, including Tajo, Veermo, Harchand, Purkho, Ms Geni, Ms Kesho and Soomji. Liberated peasants Pappo Kolhi and Mangal Kolhi told journalists that they had been illegally confined by the landlord for the last six years and tortured by his estate manager Kamdar Allah Bux Chandio, gunman Jummo Kumbhar and others.
They alleged the accused had been criminally assaulting their women. They further said their relatives had filed a petition before the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit, and the district sessions court, Mirpurkhas, against their detention.
It was learnt that the SP, investigation, Mirpurkhas, had suspended the in-charge, investigation team, Jhuddo police, Pervez Junejo, and the sub-divisional in-charge, investigation, Digri, Sharfuddin Palli, for negligence in duty.
Police registered cases under sections 84, 364, 324, 353, 147, 148, 149 and 18, Zina Hudood Ordinance, and section 354, PPC, against the landlord, his son and 13 other armed persons. However, no arrests have been made so far.
Meanwhile, a group of activists of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan held a demonstration in front of the press club here on Sunday to protest against the landlord and the sub-divisional in-charge, investigation.
The protesters, including Kanji Rano Bheel, Bhagwandas, Babo Mero, Shankar Lal and Benarji, raised slogans against the landlord and the police official. Talking to journalists, they said after freeing 41 peasants from the captivity of landlord Laung Chandio, the in-charge, investigation team, Pervez Junejo, and the sub-divisional in-charge, investigation, handed over 15 of them to the landlord again.
They said the landlord and his servants had tortured 15 peasants in front of police. The HRCP activists demanded that the government should order a judicial inquiry into the matter and ensure release of the remaining 15 peasants form the confinement of the landlord.
