SUKKUR May 26: Strong police and rangers force foiled an attempt by growers to stage a sit-in on the railway bridge over the Desert canal five kilometres off Mirpur Mathelo on Monday by baton-charging the protesters, in which five were injured, and arresting 12 of them including a union council Nazim.
The farmers wanted to register their protest against the construction of 19-km-long Desert canal which, they fear, would be used to irrigate only the land of Sindh Chief Minister Ali Mohammad Mahar and Ghotki District Nazim Sardar Ali Gohar Mahar. The canal is to originate from Ghotki feeder in Kalwar Deh and end in Bajrayji area.
Earlier in the morning, strong contingents of the police and rangers blocked the roads coming from Yaroo Lund, Jarwar and Dad Leghari, cordoned off the Masoo Wah area, seized the busses and tractor trolleys of the protesters and disallowed them to proceed further.
They also detained more than 50 persons to prevent them from reaching the site of sit-in but released them in the evening.
However, Ghanghro UC Nazim Mohammad Ishaq Leghari and 11 others — including Khalid Leghari, Haleem Leghari, Liaqat Leghari, Shaikh Allah Dino and Abdul Hameed Mangi — were sent to be detained in different police station of the Kutcha area.
Thousands of members of the Leghari, Shar and Lund tribes were also to participate in the sit-in but federal minister Khalid Khan Lund, Sindh minister Nadir Khan Leghari and Sardar Ahmed Yar Shar, after holding talks with the chief minister, asked their followers not to join the protest.
Later, Yaroo Lund UC Nazim Mumtaz Lund, speaking at a press conference in Mirpur Mathelo, condemned the high-handedness of the police and rangers.
He deplored that the police and rangers had resorted to use of force against the peaceful protesters.
He alleged that the disputed waterway was being constructed to irrigate only the land of the chief minister and the district Nazim.
AQ huge amount was being spent on the construction of the canal but the common growers would not be allowed to receive water from it, he expressed apprehension.
He said that Pitafi Minor existed in the area but it was without water for several years because of lack of water in Dahar Wah from which it originated.
Mr Lund insisted that they would take water from Desert Canal and threatened that if they were prevented from doing so, it could lead to violence in the area.