LARKANA: Unrest at the Larkana Central Prison over shifting of certain “dangerous” inmates to other jails of Sindh persists since the first week of January with intermittent episodes of rioting.

A hostage drama had unfolded on Friday when a group of inmates held 10 policemen hostage over the jail administration’s refusal to take back one of the 13 “dangerous” prisoners, Mohammad Ali Khokhar, shifted to different jails on Jan 13. Khokhar was sent to the Shikarpur jail but he somehow managed to obtain an “order” for his return to the Larkana jail. However, the jail administration said it could not take this “troublemaker” back.

Some videos that went viral on the social media over the last few days showed “hostages and hostage-takers” criticising the jail administration over its inaction towards freeing the policemen.

Senior superintendent of the jail, Ashfaq Kalwar, speaking to Dawn on Tuesday, revealed that “some policemen have volunteered to become hostage and some others were forcible held hostage”.

Agitating prisoners want jail chief to take back fellow inmate from Shikarpur jail

He did not name those who were forcibly overpowered but sources in the jail identified them as Imran Zuhrani, Abdul Waheed Bhutto, Shahnawaz Korai, Rasheed Golo, Daman Jagirani, Murtaza Junejo and Tariq Rajpar. The prisoners had not freed them till Tuesday (fifth day) as the jail superintendent has not agreed to take back Mohammed Ali Khokhar.

“Not a single inmate out of those already shifted [to other jails] will be taken back,” he firmly stated. “They were moved out because they were troublemakers and believed to have been behind the rioting witnessed over the last few weeks,” he said.

He, alluding to agitating prisoners, said the jail administration would not bow to blackmailers. The jail chief appeared optimistic about an end to the unrest soon.

The jail administration had started its work in the first week of January to shift scores of “dangerous” inmates from the overcrowded facility. However, a large number of inmates reacted over the plan by offering stiff resistance.

On Jan 12, large groups of prisoners refused to go back to their barracks after their routine rigour when the administration shifted 13 prisoners to other jails. The defiant inmates had climbed up to the rooftop and torched bedsheets to register their protest. It took the jail administration several days to persuade them to peacefully return to their barracks.

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2022