12 May 2004	Wednesday	21 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

SUKKUR, May 11: Police arrested more than 15 persons and resorted to baton-charge on about 200 protesters, belonging to the Khoso tribe, at the new bus terminal here on Tuesday.

The protesters, including women, had gathered to stage a sit-in on the highway here to protest against arrests of 20 Khoso tribesmen on the charge of kidnapping two students of the Mono Technical College, Sukkur Site, from their hostel.

Several protesters were reportedly injured in the baton-charge. Later, the enraged tribesmen took out a protest procession which marched through main thoroughfares of the city. The protesters reached at the district council where they held a demonstration.

The district council was in session when the protesters held the demonstration. The district Naib Nazim and other Nazims of the city assured the tribesmen that they would take up the matter with high-ups of the police department.

They also condemned the arrests and baton-charge of the Khoso tribesmen. The protesters alleged that police had not only ransacked their houses but also taken away cash and jewellry and misbehaved with women.

Following the kidnapping of the two students - Asad Mirani and Shaukat Jalbani -, police raided villages of the Khoso tribe, including Ali Khan Khoso, Bilawal Khoso, Nihal Khoso and Mehrab Khoso, and arrested some 20 members of the tribe.

Those arrested included Sardar Bux, Sher Dil, Mohammad Sadiq, Sadaruddin, Mohammad Hassan, Riaz Ali, Talib, Haji Loung, Aslam, Akram, Yasin, Ramzan, Rajab, Yar Mohammad, Sami, Nisar, Ameer Bagh, Ashraf, Shahban, Moulo and Rahim.