April 23, 2008	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 16, 1429

NAUSHAHRO FEROZE, April 22: The Judicial magistrate Bhirya Waheed Ali Khoso raided the Tharushah police station and released an illegally confined truck driver on Tuesday.

The raid was conducted on the directives of Justice of Peace and sessions judge Naushahro Feroze, and recovered the truck driver Umer Ali Pathan of Hyderabad, who was detained by the police since Sunday.

The judicial magistrate directed the SHO Tharushah, Riaz Bijarani and the applicant Shahzado Babar to appear before the sessions judge on April 26.

The truck was loaded with bags containing grinded leaves of different trees used for Mehndi.

When contacted, SHO Tharushah said that at the time of raid by the magistrate, they were busy in unloading the truck and the judicial magistrate was informed accordingly but he ordered release of the truck driver. He said that the truck was in the possessions of the police.

The SHO said that an FIR under section 270, 279 and 420 PPC was lodged against four persons namely Yamin Babar, Hashim Khoso, Amin Babar and the truck driver Umer Ali Pathan.

He said that the truck was carrying grinded leaves of different trees and Mehndi to Karachi when the police impounded it.

On he other hand, several Mehndi growers led by Iqbal Ahmed Sehto, Mukhtiar Ahmed and Lal Khan Almani staged a demonstration outside the press club and complained that some mills were grinding leaves of different trees for mixing in the Mehndi which was unfair.

They said that Tharushah is known for producing Mehndi and those who were involved in grinding and mixing leaves of trees were causing loss to people as well as to the country. They demanded that those mills/machine owners grinding trees leaves be arrested and punished.

The PPP MNA, Syed Zafar Ali Shah, has constituted a committee comprising advocate Ghulam Murtaza Soomro and Roshan Ali Mahessar to look into the matter and to move the court of law against the persons involved in this business