UMERKOT: A Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) activist, Zaid Talpur, was on Tuesday booked along with his six associates at the Kunri police station for, police claimed, grabbing and thrashing the SHO concerned. Mr Talpur has denied the allegation, saying that he was manhandled and kept behind bars when he visited the police station to inquire about a case registered against one of his party workers.

SHO Tasawwur Jatt speaking to local reporters alleged that Zaid Talpur along with Hassan Talpur and five other associates “attacked the police station, abused the staff and grabbed and dragged me”.

The suspects were later booked under Sections 147, 148, 149, 150, 504 and 353 of the Criminal Procedure Code, he added.

On his part, Zaid Talpur told Dawn that he visited the police station to inquire about a “false case” registered against a fellow PTI man “at the behest of a local PPP leader who is an adviser to the Sindh chief minister”.

“Instead of sharing details of the case, the SHO misbehaved with me and then kept me behind bars for four hours,” he claimed.

No one nominated in the FIR was arrested till late in the evening.

Appearing on a private TV channel after the incident, Mirpurkhas DIG Javed Alam Odho said he had taken notice of vandalism at the Kunri police station.

“The PTI activist [Zaid Talpur] who is a close relative of PPP MNA Nawab Yousuf Talpur took the law into his hands in a state of intoxication,” he said, adding that he had directed the Umerkot SSP to thoroughly investigate the incident.

The DIG said that a report had been sent to IGP A.D. Khowaja for further action after the news was aired by the media.

Footage aired by some TV channels showed Zaid Talpur occupying the SHO’s seat and the police officer, standing beside him, humbly receiving his instructions at the police station. In another scene, an angry Talpur is seen issuing instructions to the police while a large number of people surrounding a car outside the local Nadra office.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2017