August 14, 2008	Thursday	Sha'aban 11, 1429

HYDERABAD, Aug 13: The Green Rural Development Organisation on Wednesday rejected Mannu Bheel’s allegations that the organisation was supporting Ms Meena Kolhi at the behest of Abdul Rehman Marri, reiterating that Mannu did try to molest her.

The general secretary of the organisation, Ghulam Haider Khoso, president of Hari Mazdoor Tanzeem, Shahida Khaskheli, and other office-bearers said at a news conference at the press club that the Mannu’s allegations that Dr Haider and Qamar Shaikh, office-bearers of the organisation, had taken money from Rehman to pit Ms Meena against him were completely unfounded.

Giving details on the body’s involvement in Ms Meena’s case, they said that Ms Meena had submitted an application to them on March 25, 2007 complaining that Mannu and his companions had tortured her and set her hut on fire to pressurise her to divorce her husband and marry Mannu.

The organisation deputed Dr Haider to look into the allegations and he along with other well-wishers succeeded in bringing about a rapprochement between Mannu and Ms Meena.

They claimed that Mannu who had filed a case in a Kotri court against Meena and others undertook in writing that the case had been filed due to some misunderstanding.

However, Mannu continued to harass Meena and she was forced to leave Sikandarabad Hari camp. Again on July 10, 2008, Ms Meena submitted another application alleging that Mannu and his companions had attacked her house in Goth Usman Pissio and tried to kidnap and molest her.

They said that Dr Haider again contacted Mannu but he refused to talk on the issue and hurled abuses at Meena. Thereafter, the organisation advised Ms Meena to take legal recourse and she filed a criminal case against Mannu, they said.

They said that Mannu launched false propaganda against the organisation after Ms Meena filed the case.

Ms Meena who had filed a case of sexual assault against Mannu fully corroborated the assertions of the organisation and insisted that Mannu had tried to molest her. Mannu wanted her to divorce her husband and marry him. She turned down the forced proposal because she was a mother of seven, she added.