Alleged extortion: Brick kiln workers protest against police

MULTAN: Brick kiln workers staged a protest Tuesday against the Sikandarabad police for alleged torture of a labourer in Multan’s Shujaabad sub-district, demanding stern action against the erring policemen.

The protesters alleged the personnel of a patrolling team demanded a bribe from a brick kiln worker named Allah Ditta, as he was on the way to his workplace. On his refusal to pay the bribe, they claimed, the policemen brutally tortured him.

The brick kiln workers stopped their tractors on Multan-Shujaabad Road, emptied their trolleys and blocked the road with piles of bricks for two hours.

Shahnawaz, a labourer, alleged the patrolling policemen routinely stopped the workers and demanded bribes for no reason, claiming the workers had to part with as much as half of their earnings as a result.

Another brick kiln worker, Muhammad Inayat, accused the police of attempting to extort Rs3,000 from each brick kiln worker a month ago.

A labourer named Rafique accused the police of coming up with different reasons to mint money from the poor.

The protesters dispersed after successful negotiations with City Police SHO Shafee Gujjar, following which the road was opened for traffic. The SHO assured the workers that strict action would be taken against police personnel demanding bribes.

The protesters also demanded the replacement of patrolling police personnel, threatening to block the Multan-Shujaabad Road again if their demands were not met.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2016.