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KHAIRPUR, Sept 8: At least 200 prisoners are suffering from leprosy, asthma and stomach ailments in the Central Jail, Khairpur.
Some of the prisoners have been admitted to the Civil Hospital Khairpur and one to the Civil Hospital Sukkur. The remaining were still languishing in jail.
This was disclosed by the relatives of some of the prisoners while talking to newsmen on Sunday.
They further said that there was no adequate arrangement for food and medicines in the jail, and added that too many prisoners were lodged in the barracks, which was leading to the spread of diseases.
They said that some prisoners — namely Hakim, Jabbar, Mohammad Hayat, Amin, Khuda Bux and Shabbir — were brought to the Civil Hospital, Khairpur, in a precarious condition on Friday, while one prisoner, Sheral Khaskheli, was admitted to the Civil Hospital Sukkur.
They complained that the other prisoners suffering from various diseases were not being taken to hospitals for medical treatment.
They said that substandard food was being given to the prisoners.
JAILOR’S VERSION: When this correspondent tried to contact the jail superintendent on the telephone, it was learnt that he was on a leave for three days, while the post of the deputy jail superintendent was lying vacant.
The person talking on the telephone disclosed himself to be the jailor. He claimed that no diseases were spreading in the jail even though 795 prisoners were being kept there while its capacity was for only 526.
However, he claimed that some prisoners were being regularly referred to the Civil Hospital Sukkur and some to the Civil Hospital Khairpur for checkups on the advice of jail doctors, and added that the others were being treated inside the jail.
He said that no prisoner was admitted to the jail ward in the Sukkur Civil Hospital.
STRIKE AGAINST HESCO: A strike was observed in Gambat on Monday against the Hesco for resorting to loadshedding, issuing inflated bills and delaying bill correction.
On the call of the Citizens Action Committee, a procession was also taken out which marched on the main roads of the town.
The residents of Gambat town and its outskirts had set up the action committee to launch the struggle against the excesses of Hesco.
DEATH MOURNED: Shops remained closed in Rasoolabad town near here on Monday to mourn the death of a 4-year-old boy, Raqeeb Ahmed, who was killed here the other day.
The traders and residents of the town also held a demonstration to protest against the police failure to arrest killers of the boy and curb crime in the area.
Meanwhile, the father of the dead boy, Abdul Aziz Memon, lodged a murder case against Imam Ali Shah, Mushtaq Ali Shah, Koral Shah, Zainab, wife of Imam, and Ghulam Fatima, wife of Mushtaq, with the Ranipur police.
DIES: A man, Mumtaz Ali Bhutto, who was injured in a clash between the Sakhani and Rajpar clansmen, died in the rural health centre of Thari Mirwah on Monday.
The relatives of the dead man staged a sit-in in Thari Mirwah and blocked the vehicular traffic.
The Citizens’ Alliance and Shopkeepers’ Welfare Association also observed a shutter-down strike and organized a token hunger strike in Bozdar Wada to protest against the death.
