HYDERABAD, Sept 15: The Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court on Monday issued notices to Nawabshah DPO, SHO of Nawabshah police station and a number of other policemen on a constitutional petition filed by a fruit vendor, asking them to appear in court on Sept 22.

The court also asked the DPO and SHO to submit a list of cases pending against the petitioner.

The petitioner Mohammad Rafiq said that policemen Ali Bux, Ali Ghulam, Siddique and Mujeebur Rehman wanted him to act as a witness in a case and asked him to sign some documents but he refused on grounds that being a poor fruit seller he had nothing to do with such cases.

He said he told police that it would not be possible for him to accompany them to the police station leaving his fruit stall unattended. The policemen were irked by the answer and they left after issuing him threats of dire consequences, he said.

He said that again on Sept 1 the policemen came to him when he was selling fruit and asked him to appear before the DPO and SHO. They tried to take him away forcibly when he refused but had to leave after intervention of other people, he said.

Later in the evening, the policeman came to his residence in a mobile van but he avoided seeing them because he feared they wanted to arrest him and implicate him in a false case, he alleged.

He said that he was unable to earn his livelihood due to constant vigil of police over him and was forced to leave his house with family members for fear of arrest.

The petitioner said that he was not involved in any criminal activity nor faced any case but his refusal had irked police and they were harassing him and his family.

He prayed the court to direct Nawabshah DPO to submit a list of cases registered against him in Nawabshah and that action should be taken against the SHO of B-section police station and other policemen for harassing him.

He said that the respondents should be restrained from harassing and issuing threats to him and his family.