THATTA, Dec 12: An ASI and four policemen here on Thursday were booked in the murder case of Farooq Shidi, who committed self-immolation here on Eid day to protest against the police atrocities.

Soon after his body was brought here from a Karachi hospital, the enraged people and activists of political parties and social welfare organizations took to streets and marched on the main roads with the body, raising slogans against the police.

The protesters also staged a sit-in on the National Highway, resulting in suspension of vehicular traffic for about four hours.

They dispersed on the assurance by the DPO, Thatta, Nadir Hussain Khoso, that justice would be restored.

After the body was buried in a local graveyard, an FIR was registered against ASI Ahmed Nahiyoon, head constable Hussain Bux Ranto and constables Aijaz, Ghulam Mustafa Samoon and Jabbar Rajput under sections 302 and 324, PPC, on the complaint of Fareed Ahmed, the brother of the victim.

The accused have absconded.

Farooq, young labourer, on being fed up with torture by the officials of the town police chowki on the pretext of interrogation, sprinkled kerosene on himself, set himself ablaze and stormed into the police chowki on the Eid day.

The people extinguished the fire and rushed him to the local civil hospital, from where he was shifted to a Karachi hospital, where he died on Wednesday night.

KIDNAPPED: A landlord of Jhoke Sharif, Wahid Abro, was kidnapped by bandits on Wednesday night.