February 8, 2006	Wednesday	Muharram 9, 1427

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SUKKUR, Feb 7: Following a scuffle between prisoners and police in the Sukkur Central Jail-I on Tuesday, more than 2,000 prisoners took over the jail and made five jail officials hostage.

The prisoners also tried to break the jail but the authorities foiled their attempt with heavy aerial firing and tear-gassing.

It is the fourth time in six months that enraged prisoners of the jail have tried to break the jail, mounted over the roof and taken over the charge of the jail.

The prisoners threatened to kill the hostages if jailer Ishaq Meo was not terminated, they were not allowed to meet their relatives and prisoners were continued to be kept in the band ward.

A heavy contingent of personnel of Rangers, Frontier Constabulary and police cordoned of the jail and warned the rioting prisoners that they would be fired upon if they tried to escape.

The incident followed an exchange of hot words between jail officials and prisoners at 11am.

The prisoners also allegedly injured a policeman, Mehram Ali Lanjar, who was taken to Sukkur Civil Hospital.

The prisoners broke a wall between the ‘white and black chakkar’ and opened doors of all barracks after which all prisoners came out and tried to break the main wall of the prison.

Sensing the situation, police used tear-gas on the prisoners.

The heavy contingent of law-enforcement agencies surrounded the jail and some officials started negotiations with the prisoners.

The prisoners alleged that they were being tortured and were not being allowed to meet their relatives without paying bribe to officials. They said the prisoners who refused to pay the officials money were sent to the band ward. They further alleged that the jailer used to collect money from prisoners which was later distributed among the jail staff.

District Nazim Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, DPO Aftab Halepoto, civil judge Suhail Jatoi, and the DIGP, prisons, Ghulam Hussain Khoso, were busy negotiating with a 10-member team of the prisoners, led by Mohammad Ali Khokhar and Anwar Mirbahar.

The prisoners said they would not go back to barracks till their demands were met accepted.

However, jail authorities claimed that no money was being extorted from prisoners and the inmates had resorted to protest on the instigation of prisoners who had been shifted from the jail. They said that the prisoners had injured many police officials and made it clear that their unjust demands would not be accepted.

The district nazim claimed that the prisoners had started going back to their barracks as some of their demands had been accepted.