MITHI: Police moved into action against supporters of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Dr Mahesh Kumar Malani on Sunday after a complaint was lodged against them on behalf of the party’s Tharparkar district president Senator Gyanchand.

Four pro-Malani activists -- Dr Mahesh Joshi, Tara Chand, Jhamand Maharaj and Yagal Houtchand Lohano -- were picked up for leading a protest demonstration and sit-in at Kashmir Chowk in Mithi against Senator Gyanchand, said a press statement issued by MPA Dr Malani’s spokesman Chandar Kumar.

The statement said that raids were being conducted by police on the houses of a number of other party activists who had participated in the protest, held on Tuesday (Dec 26) evening.

Mithi DSP Mohammad Ali Khoso confirmed what he called “a crackdown on unruly elements” involved in harassing Senator Gyanchand that day. He said he himself led the police party that conducted raids in Jagdesh Conley in Mithi on Sunday and picked up the four activists.

On Tuesday, according to reports, a group of PPP activists supporting Dr Malani -- who has recently been replaced with Senator Gyanchand as the party’s district chief -- approached the latter with request to arrange for some transport means for their travel to Garhi Khuda Bukhsh Bhutto enabling them to attend the 10th death anniversary programme of Benazir Bhutto scheduled for the next day. However, Senator Gyanchand allegedly refused to oblige them, telling them to go to their favourite [Dr Malani].

It was reported that the activists reacted angrily over his attitude, misbehaved with him and almost manhandled him. The senator’s close associates first tried to handle the situation on their own but they had to call out the area police to help rescue Senator Gyanchand. Later, the police escorted him and many of his supporters out of the town as they also had to proceed to Garhi Khuda Bukhsh Bhutto. Amid a tense situation where a large number of pro-Malani activists were holding a protest sit-in at Kashmir Chowk, the rival groups of PPP workers clashed at several places while leaving Mithi for Garhi Khuda Buksh Bhutto.

Sources in PPP’s Tharparkar chapter say that the rivalry between the two sides had cropped up soon after Dr Malani was removed and Senator Gyanchand was appointed the district chief.

The statement issued by Dr Malani’s spokesman said that “... committed PPP workers are being rounded up by police on the complaint of [a PPP woman wing leader and close associate of Senator Gyanchand) Samtra Manjani ... they are being victimised for holding a protest against Senator Gyanchand ...”

The spokesman, however, attributed the police action to “anti-PPP forces” and warned that [pro-Malani] party workers would court arrest on a large scale if the detained fellows were not set free and the crackdown was not stopped.

DSP Khoso said that action against the unruly elements was requested by Ms Manjani and recommended by Tharparkar SSP Ameer Saud Magsi. He said the four activists were kept at the local CIA Centre but an FIR would be registered upon receipt of such directives from the SSP.

The party sources told this reporters that Senator Gyanchand in his complaint made to the superior leadership said that the caravan he was leading on Tuesday evening was intercepted by the activists “sent by Dr Malani and his aides”. He also complained that he got his glasses broke during the advances made by the activists.

He said Dr Malani’s men intercepted his caravan at several points within the town before police had to intervene on a request made by the district information secretary, Nandlal Malhi. Some of the local PPP activists, including Nawaz Baghi and Jagdesh Kumar, spoke to reporters here to condemn the police action. They claimed that the police misbehaved with inmates of the houses raided by them during the “hours-long search and siege” of the locality. “It reminded us the black days of dictatorship”, they said.

Meanwhile, Nandlal Malhi,while speaking to this reporter over phone, rejected the allegation that his son, Kundan Malhi, had played a role in the ugly incident of Tuesday. Such an allegation was levelled by Dr Malani’s men, he said.

“Kundan had nothing to do with the Dec 26 episode,” he categorically stated.

Published in Dawn, January 1st, 2018