SUKKUR: Police operation: old man dies, 20 houses torched
By Our Correspondent
SUKKUR, Sept 24: An elderly man was electrocuted, 20 houses were gutted and an unspecified number of houses razed to ground in a 10-hour police operation which ended in the arrest of 40 suspects in Qabil Jagirani village on Sunday.
Villagers blamed police for torching their homes and levelling many to ground through a tractor.
Police said villagers themselves had torched the houses and made a cut into nearby canal’s embankment to flood the area to stop police from entering the village.
Police also denied the claim of Fatima, wife of 50-year-old Shahmir Jagirani, that they had tortured her husband and later killed him by electrocution.
Police said that the man died when he got entangled in live electric wires snapped up by the villagers and were lying on the ground.
Police said that they had shifted the body to the Rohri taluka hospital.
DPO Ghulam Shabbir Shaikh told reporters that a heavy contingent of police raided the village to arrest people involved in the killing of Nisar Panhwar and looting of and firing on the Sukkur-bound passenger bus two days ago.
He said that the robbers also injured four policemen of Pano Akil, Yousuf Chachar, Sadoro Mirani, Sadaruddin and Raziq Dino Shaikh who were in the bus and snatched away their official weapons.
Mr Sheikh said that police first asked the villagers to hand them over the wanted culprits but they responded with setting ablaze their houses and flooding the village to stop them entering.
The villagers also opened fire on police compelling them to conduct the operation.
The TPO of Rohri and the TPO of Jhangro led the 10 hour-long operation which started late Saturday night and ended towards early Sunday morning.
The villagers whose houses were torched include Gulab, Banhoo, Mehram, Tharo, Datar Dino, Mumtaz, Qaimuddin, Ali Madad, Bachayo, Dost Ali, Ismail and Ameer Hussain.
The arrested people were identified as Hadi Bux, Yakoob, Zawar, Muneer Khan, Nizamuddin, Haji, Gulab, Bahoo, Tahir, Mehram, Sattar, Datar Dino and Dost Ali.
prices: District Coordination Officer Shafique Ahmed Khoso directed the special judicial magistrates to make frequent visits to Bachat Bazaars in the district during the holy month of Ramazan to keep rates of consumer goods in check and ensure nobody overcharged people.
Addressing a meeting at his office with the officials of concerned departments, he asked them to ensure enforcement of Ramzan Ordinance in letter and spirit and take stern action against violators.
He directed them to ensure traders displayed price lists of consumer goods at Sabzi Mandies, markets and Bachat Bazaars.
