HYDERABAD, April 28: He is now looking skywards, awaiting Allah’s wrath after police cleared of charges three prime accused of his case claiming insufficient evidence against them.

Ali Hassan Solangi, a police constable who was working as court process server, was subjected to inhuman torture by his tormentors who threw acid on his face and legs, chopped off his hands, badly fractured one leg by repeated blows of axe and fired on the other leg on March 24. The incident was widely covered by print and electronic media.

On the surface, the brutality seems result of a tussle during local body elections in August 2005 when Solangi reportedly resisted attempts to rig polls by some candidates at Khabbar Khairo polling station in Deh Shah Bukhari of Hyderabad district. It led to arrival of personnel of Rangers who beat up a candidate for union council nazim Deedar Shoro.

“Since then Deedar Shoro had been nursing a grudge against me. After having announced his support for Sindh chief minister Dr. Arbab Ghulam Rahim Shoros became too strong and they had me implicated in a false case,” Solangi said.

Solangi said he was kidnapped on March 24 from Hatri by the accused including Jam Shoro, nephew of taluka nazim of Qasimabad, Noor Mohammad Shoro. They took him in a car to Deh Shah Bukhari, where they tied his hands behind, fired on his leg and threw acid on his face, he said.

“I kept lying there for around 25 minutes until the accused returned and Deedar Shoro was with them. Then the accused Fateh Shoro, Ganwar Chandio, Deedar Shoro and others chopped off my hands and hit my right leg,” he said.

He said it was happening right before the villagers but none of them dared come to his rescue. “Lying in a pool of blood I kept reciting Quranic verses till I saw lights of police mobile. I was able to see during my shifting to hospital but by next morning I lost my eyesight and now I can’t see anything,” he said.

Solangi has seven children and gets Rs12,000 salary but so far his department or senior officers has not extended him any help. The only monetary help came from district nazim Kanwar Naveed Jamil, who gave him a cheque for Rs100,000.

He is disabled for the rest of his life but not disappointed. He does not expect any help coming from his colleagues but he has more faith, besides Allah Almighty, in Sufi saint Sufi Shah Bukhari in whose area he was brutalised.

“Allah and Sufi Shah Bukhari will do me justice. The latter couldn’t tolerate any injustice to any innocent. Allah will send His wrath on my tormentors,” said Solangi.

Perhaps the most painful thing for Solangi is that the actions of his colleagues have thus far only aided his tormentors. Hyderabad’s investigation police, led by SP investigation Khalid Mustafa Korai, gave enough time to the accused to let them seek protective bail from Sindh High Court Karachi.

As if it was not enough his subordinate have cleared the prime accused Deedar Shoro, Noor Mohammad Shoro and Jam Khan Shoro of charges under section 497 Cr.PC – a section that empowers police to exonerate the accused of charges but leaves it to court to approve or refuse police report at the time of submission of challan.

The newly-appointed DPO Dr Najaf Quli Mirza tried to clarify that it had been left to court to accept or reject police’s report. Police endorsed Jam Khan Shoro’s alibi that he was in Islamabad and his father Deedar Shoro and uncle Noor Mohammad Shoro were in hospitals in Karachi at the time of commission of offence.

The DPO said that he had asked police to file cancellation of bail application of the other accused including Haneef Shoro, Fateh Shoro, Ganwar Chandio and Hayat Chandio before Sindh High Court Karachi on April 29 (today).

Jam Khan Shoro and his father Deedar Shoro had joined Pakistan People’s Party on Dec 17, 2007 Hyderabad by using the good offices of a sitting minister.

Shoros had earlier joined Arbab-led Pakistan Muslim League after 2005 local body elections and Jam Khan Shoro was given a PML ticket for PS-47 against PPP’s candidate.