HYDERABAD, Jan 23: The Additional Advocate-General of Sindh, Masood A. Noorani, has given an undertaking before the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit bench, that no harassment will be caused to a Hari and his family members.

He made this statement before the court on Thursday during the hearing of a constitutional petition filed by Dhanji, son of Purkho, against the SHO of Khipro police station and others.

The petitioner stated that he had settled on the lands of private respondents eight years back due to drought conditions in Tharparkar. He said they had assured him and his family members that they would give them half share from the crop and provide food, medicines and clothes and all necessary expenses upto crop harvesting.

He said on this commitment they cultivated wheat, cotton and other crops in huge quantity but the private respondents had great influence among local administration especially in police and other departments, who were working under their control and most of their relatives and friends were posted at high places.

He said the respondents neither gave them share nor released them and even food was not provided to them properly and their children. He stated that they were living a miserable life and had no money, food, water and clothes. He said he approached district Nazim and DPO Sanghar and other concerned authorities including SHO police station Khipro, requesting them for release of his family members but no response was given.

He claimed that due to his complaints respondents annoyed and posted armed guards to look after their movements, imposing ban on his family members. He alleged family members were tortured, teased, harassed and pressurized so that they should not demand their share and added it was in utter disregard of the Bonded Labour System (abolition) Act 1992 and several articles of the Constitution.

He disclosed when lease of respondents' land expired they tried to sell the petitioner and his 19 family members to someone else but family members escaped from their illegal detention.

He said that ever since their escape respondents in connivance with the SHO were issuing threats of dire consequences to him and his family. He remarked that fundamental rights of the petitioner and his family members of free movement had been violated. He prayed the court to direct the respondent SHO not to harass the petitioner and his family members and order compensation of Rs50,000 for illegally and unlawfully harassing him and his family members.