MITHI: The Bheel community prolonged its protest in Islamkot against alleged murder of its member, Dodo Bheel, a worker hired by Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC), to 20 hours till Friday morning insisting on the arrest of the firm’s five security guards.

They had started the protest on Thursday evening after the worker succumbed to his injuries at a Hyderabad hospital. The protest had led to the registration of a case against the security guards, including Kashif alias Commando, Huzaifa and Qamar. Several hundred Bheels held a march and demonstration against the alleged killers and many more people joined in during the course of the protest.

Local PPP lawmakers also expressed solidarity with the protesters and helped them get the FIR registered. Dodo Bheel’s brother, Alim Bheel, lodged the case at the Islamkot police station but the Bheel community insisted that they would continue the protest until arrest of the nominated suspects. They claimed that the security guards kept Dodo and some other fellow workers in unlawful confinement for many days and kept physically torturing them over alleged theft of scrap. The guards had handed over Dodo to the area police in a critical condition, they claimed.

Dodo’s body was handed over to his family on Friday after a post-mortem examination.

According to sources, the murder FIR was registered on a directive of Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh, who after speaking to Alim Bheel, contacted MNA Dr Mahesh Kumar Malani, MPA Fakeer Sher Mohammad Bilalani and other PPP leaders and told them to cooperate with the bereaved family.

Mr Sheikh has also promised that an inquiry into Dodo’s death would be instituted.

MNA Dr Malani, MPA Bilalani, Engineer Gyanchand, Advocate Veerji Kolhi, Nandlal Malhi, Samtra Manjiani and others held talks with the protesters and persuaded them to end their protest. However, the Bheel community said they would resume their protest if the suspects were not arrested till Saturday evening.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2021