HYDERABAD, Jan 4: The Sindh High Court on Friday issued notices to the Hyderabad DIG, SSP and others for Jan 9 in a petition against police harassment to members of the Detho community in a case pertaining to the murder of a freewill couple.

The division bench comprising Justices Abdul Rasool Memon and Riazat Ali Sahar also directed the investigation officer of the couple murder case to appear in person in court.

The notices were issued to the Hyderabad DIG, SSP, DSP Husri and the SHO of the Pabban police station on a constitutional petition filed by five members of the Detho community — Gulab, Mohammad Sharif, Javed Ali, Ghulam Shabbir and Abdul Karim — against alleged police harassment at the instance of Mohammad Ismail Sheikh, the complainant of the murder case.

The petitioners, represented by Advocate Farhad Ali Abro, impleaded Mohammad Ismail, his father Ahmed Khan, his sons Mohammad Iqbal, Ashfaq and Jani and Ali Ghulam, Rehmatullah Khan and Abdul Ghani as private respondents besides police officials in the petition.

They said that an FIR (190/2012) was lodged on a complaint of Mohammad Ismail at the Pabban police station on Oct 27, 2012.

They said that a number of accused were nominated in the FIR by the complainant. The police had arrested some of them and some were still absconding, they said, adding that since they were relatives of the accused, the police were harassing them at the instance of the complainant.

They added that the police were taking away their goods from their homes during raids and they were not able to live at their homes.

They said that between 25 and 30 houses belonging to members of the Detho community were located in Mori Mangar village.

After the registration of the case, the police had made their lives miserable and even private respondents intruded into their houses for the arrest of the absconding accused, they added.

They said that the police were not arresting real accused.

They said that some of their relatives were picked up, but then they were released.

They prayed to the court to restrain the police from harassing them and issue permanent injunctions in this regard.