HYDERABAD: A group of transport operators and drivers held a demonstration outside the local press club on Thursday against detention of their vehicles and alleged excesses by police at various places in the city over the last 24 hours.

The protesters told reporters that the Hyderabad police detained buses, coasters and trucks for transporting their personnel from Police Line to the spots of their deployment and then using the vehicles to block roads and streets leading to the routes of Muharram processions.

They alleged that the vehicles were taken to the police headquarters and bribe ranging from Rs5,000 to Rs10,000 for the release of each vehicle. “Those who were unable to pay a minimum of Rs5,000 were told to get lost and anyone who insisted on getting back his vehicle was subjected to thrashing,” the protesters alleged.

They said several of them had been kept at the police headquarters overnight like prisoners. “They were neither served food and water nor were they allowed to go to wash rooms during the illegal detention,” they alleged.

After raising slogans against Hyderabad SSP Adeel Hussain Chandio, Liaquat Shah, Ameer Khan, Zulfiqar Ahmed, Mohammad Naeem Arain, Abdul Qayyum and others demanded release of around 50 vehicles detained by the police.

They said the police teams that detained the vehicles also caused hardship to passengers and consignees as they offloaded the passengers and goods midway.

Urging the inspector general of Sindh police to take notice of such unlawful practices on the part of the law enforcement agency, they said they were destined for different parts of the province, including Larkana, Sanghar, Nawabshah, Karachi and Digri, when detained along with their vehicles on Wednesday evening.

The protesters said they were scheduled to return home early Thursday morning but their families might be anxious about their well being now as contact with them could not be established due to unavailability of mobile phone services, shut down on account of security.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2018