MIANWALI, Aug 6: Several wheat owners and local police have locked horns over confiscation of wheat. As the police have refused to release the wheat despite court orders, a local magistrate has served contempt notice on the Kundian police SHO.

The Kundian police impounded more than 3,000 wheat bags on various occasions at the Chashma Barrage check post on the pretext of foiling smuggling bid to the NWFP. The wheat owners contacted magistrate Khizar Hayat Minhas at Piplan Tehsil Headquarters, informing him that they transported wheat for personal use to Katcha Gujrat, which is a part of this district.

The police check post at Chashma Barrage, meant to stop wheat smuggling, registered cases of wheat smuggling at the Kundian police station. The complainants informed the magistrate that there was no ban on wheat transportation within district and the police could interfere only if it was transported out of the district.

The magistrate ordered the police to release the wheat to the owners on superdari (temporary custody), but Kundian police SHO Muhammad Aslam Maikan refused to follow the court instructions.

The wheat owners once again knocked at the magistrate’s door and informed him that the police had refused to return the wheat stock. They said the entire confiscated wheat was lying open in the police station compound and intermittent showers were damaging it. The magistrate took note and issued contempt notice to the SHO, also ordering attachment of his salary.

Meanwhile, the police have moved sessions court to challenge the magistrate’s orders to release the wheat. The Kundian SHO told Dawn that they had registered 25 cases of wheat smuggling and impounded thousands of bags.

As for the contempt of court notice, he expressed ignorance and said: “No one can dare attach my salary and I have seen high and apex courts”.

Qari Muhammad Iqbal of Katcha Gujrat told this correspondent that his brother purchased 60 wheat bags for family from Piplan grain market and during transportation to home, the stock was confiscated at the Chashma police check post. He said a court set his brother on bail and allowed him temporary custody of wheat, but the police had failed to release wheat.

He said the police should set up pickets at boundary of district because there was no ban on wheat movement within the district. Worse still, he said, the actual smugglers were given a free hand and the police were apprehending the innocent people.

DPO Malik Tassaduq Hayat confirmed that the police had moved court for cancellation of ‘superdari’ orders. He said he had asked the Kundian police to make sure the wheat didn’t get damaged.

He said it was not possible that such a huge quantity of wheat was being transported for personal use.