MIRPURKHAS: An inquiry committee was set up on Sunday to investigate the case of the labourer who was allegedly set on fire by a landlord and his aides in Kot Ghulam Mohammad taluka of Mirpurkhas district on Saturday (November 13).
The investigation team comprises of Sindhri Supervisory Police Officer (SPO) Mohammad Ayub Dar, Satellite town SPO Bilawal Maher, Kot Ghulam Mohammad (KGM) Station House Officer (SHO) Lala Javed and KGM Police Investigation Officer Abdul Sattar Soomro.
Thirty-year-old Roopchand Bheel, a resident of Mithi taluka in Tharparkar district had travelled to Kot Ghulam Mohammad to find work. A landlord named Mir Abdul Rehman Talpur in Rabo village, Deh 308, accused the farmer of stealing 25 kilogrammes of cotton and had him detained in a room at his guesthouse. Roopchand was severely tortured by Talpur’s employees, who later set him on fire in the presence of the landlord.
According to details, Malaar Bheel, uncle of the victim Roopchand Bheel, lodged the case under sections 324, 342 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code with the Kot Ghulam Mohammad Police Station late on Saturday night. Malaar nominated Mir Abdul Rehman Talpur and his aides Jaffar Kapri, Hashim Kapri and Ilyas Kapri as the accused.
The victim was being treated at the Karachi Civil Hospital Burns Ward where his condition was stated to be critical. However, KGM police had arrested Jaffar and the KGM IO travelled to Karachi for recording the statement of the victim.
Separately, talking to reporters, Mirpurkhas Action Committee Chairman Kanji Rano Bheel deplored the fact that no member of provincial assembly or minister had taken notice of the atrocious crime.
He demanded President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, Sindh chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad and Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhary to take immediate action and ensure that the culprits are put behind bars.
Also, a demonstration was staged by the Bheel minority community in front of the press club in Jhuddo town to protest against Talpur’s torture of the labourer.
Protesters led by their leader, Muhib Bheel, carried banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the involved landlord, and demanding the government immediately arrest all criminals and bring them to justice. Besides this, Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM) Mirpurkhas chapter President Riaz Leghari, JSMM Secretary Khuda Bux Chohan, Sheral Leghari and others strongly condemned the inhumane incident.
In a joint press statement issued on Sunday, they offered to provide a lawyers’ panel to the Bheel community to take the issue to court, and warned that if the accused were not arrested within 3 days, then the JSMM would launch a protest campaign against police.
