July 28, 2008	Monday	Rajab 24, 1429

KHAIRPUR, July 27: A complete strike was observed for several hours in Setharja town on Sunday in protest against action taken by police against peasants of a Sindh government farm. Several peasants had been injured in a clash between police and farmers on Saturday.

Business activities in the town remained suspended during the strike.

The clash took place between peasants of the agricultural farm of the Sindh government in Setharja and the police called in by the farm administration.

The incident took place when the management of the agricultural farm was shifting wheat bags from the farm to godowns with the help of police. The peasants of the farm, when they came to know about this, reached there along with their women and children and opposed the action.

The peasants’ representatives, Saeed Ahmed, Sabz Ali and Mohkumuddin said that the administration of the farm, with the help of Setharja police, was shifting wheat bags from the farm land without informing them or weighing it and without giving them their due share.

They said when they lodged protest over this the police resorted to baton-charge and tear-gassed the protesters.

The enraged peasants pelted two police mobiles and a vehicle of the farm with stones.

The farm manager told journalists that as per rules, the peasants had to deposit wheat in stores which they had not done, and they were taking hold of it forcibly. He said that it was seed wheat and was getting spoiled under the sun while being kept at the farm land.

The SHO of Setharja police station said that peasants had attacked the police and they only retaliated with shelling in order to disperse the protesters.

Zamir Ahmed, Mohammad Yasin, Ali Ahmed, Atta Hussain, Pervez Ahmed, Noor Hassan, Mumtaz, Mohammad Yaqoob, Mohammad Malook, Mehtab, Ashraf, Dil urad, Haji, Sharifan, Hanifan, Naazan, ten-year-old Safar, all peasants, and others injured in the clash.

Police had arrested five farmers who were later released.

The injured women, Sharifan and Hanifan, and other complained that police and management of the farm had beaten and tortured them.

The representatives of peasants said that they were not involved in any wheat theft and the farm management had lodged fake case against them.

Later, on Sunday a strike was observed on the call of the Jamaat-i-Islami, social organisations and affected peasants of the agricultural farm. A rally was also taken out. Naib Amir of Sindh Jamaat-i-Islami Mumtaz Hussain Sahto and peasants led the rally.

The protesters raised slogans against the police and the administration of the Setharja agricultural farm. The peasants vowed to continue their protest if justice was not done with them.