HYDERABAD, July 15: The University of Sindh has complained that a group of land mafia has been encroaching upon the university’s land from time to time on holidays and at odd hours.

A spokesman of the university told Dawn on Sunday that the university had lodged FIRs at Jamshoro Police Station against encroachers/ land mafia but without any action.

He said on Wednesday July, 11 a group of land mafia led by Siddique Otho a teacher at the Primary School of Union Council Channa near Sehwan and others encroached upon the University's land located at Deh Sonwalhar Jamshoro and tried to raise construction which was also reported to the Jamshoro Police.

He said on Thursday, the Security Guards of Directorate of Estate of the University were performing their duty on university land at Deh Sonwalhar as usual when a group of miscreants/ land mafia attacked them with sticks, stones and resorted to aerial firing which too was immediately reported to the Jamshoro Police by the University's Estate Officials.

He said the land grabbers had named the grabbed land as Goth Bajedi and prepared fake documents/Sanads.

The Senior Member Board of Revenue, government of Sindh had already cancelled all fake Sanads and declared it illegal as the village was not mentioned in the directory, the spokesman said.

He said University authorities had also informed the Governor Sindh and Chancellor of the University about illegal encroachments made by land mafia.

He said the Governor of Sindh/Chancellor University of Sindh was kind enough to issue a directive to the DCO, the DPO Jamshoro and the EDO Revenue to remove all encroachments and restore possession to the University of Sindh.

He regretted that no action had been taken by the concerned authorities with the result that land mafia and encroachers were making further encroachments on the university land and attacking its employees.

He said the university estate officials have lodged complaint/ FIR at Jamshoro Police station of two incidents but in vain.

The spokesman said land grabbers staged protest demonstration and levelled baseless allegations to pressurise university officials.

He made it clear that the university land was for educational purpose and it needed protection.

University authorities appealed to elected representatives of assemblies, authorities of district government from Zila Nazim to the DCO, scholars, intellectuals and representatives of electronic and print media to extend help and cooperation to protect the university land from encroachers and land mafia.