HYDERABAD, March 20: Residents of the Jinnan Soomro Union Council of Tando Mohammad Khan district held a demonstration outside the press club here on Sunday in protest against delay in arrest of people who are alleged to have raped a woman.

The protesters blocked the road and raised slogans against the police outside the press club.

They blocked Phulelli Road, causing suspension of normal flow of traffic.

They demanded that action should be taken against those who were giving the rape case a political colour and added that the accused should be brought to justice.

The protesters said that the accused subjected the woman to sexual assault and now they were giving it a political colour to avoid punishment.

They threatened to stage hunger strike unto death if justice was not done to them.

ARRESTED: Police on Sunday arrested six people following registration of two cases in a land eviction case.

Those who were picked up included Gulzar, Hajjan, Fateh Mohammad, Khan Mohammad and two others.

The Hatri police lodged two separate FIRs against them vide crime Nos. 16 and 17.

The cases were lodged on the complaint of sub-engineer Javed Sheikh and security guard of Isra university hospital, Naseem Akhtar.

On Saturday, a large number of residents of Ismail Chand village and its adjoining localities blocked a section of the national highway in front of the Isra University against demolition of their constructions by the highways department.

Police resorted to tear gas shelling on protesting villagers, who smashed the glasses of security office of Isra University

The protesters claimed that the highway department officials were describing their hotels and shops as encroachment in order to dismantle them.

The protesters burnt tyres and pelted stones on the security office of the Isra University.

They said that police also resorted to baton charge to disperse them.

According to a spokesman of the Isra university, the action was in fact initiated by the highways department after two of the three appeals were withdrawn by appellants, Faiz Mohammad Chand and the son of late Mehrab Chand. Khuda Bux Abro’s appeal was dismissed by the sessions court.

He said that the Isra Islamic Foundation also owned the land adjacent to that of highway. He said that villagers failed to produce documentary evidence and the highways department had served notice to the encroacher but they reacted by protesting on road.