Sindh

Three of five jail wardens ‘held hostage’ released

Larkana prison inmates allege torture of convict after denial of family visit

Z Ali August 12, 2021

HYDERABAD:

As the unrest in Larkana prison begins to take a turn towards violence, five jail wardens were held hostage allegedly by inmates on Tuesday.

However, three of them were released on Wednesday reportedly due to detoriating health condition as one was also shifted to the Chandka Medical Hospital.

The conflict, which has been brewing for weeks with an MPA trying to arbitrate between the authorities and the prisoners, sparked after the jailer denied meeting of an inmate with his visiting mother. The prisoners, Bashir Shabrani, Riaz Chandio, Karamullah Chandio, Noorullah Magsi and others, stated in a video message that they resorted to protest when the jail police did not allow Moosa Langha, a capital punishment convict, to meet his mother.

They added that upon their protest Langha was put in solitary confinement and subjected to torture. "If any prisoner demands facilities that are approved for them under the jail manual, the prison authorities take recourse to vindictive actions," they alleged.

They reiterated the demand for the removal of the new Jail Superintendent Ashfaque Ahmed Kalwar, Assistant Jailer Suhail Abro and Warden Dargahi Kalhoro. Some days ago MPA Nadir Khan Magsi arbitrated between the jail administration and the prisoners. The inmates alleged that even Magsi's decision to maintain peace in the prison was not being implemented.

The wardens held hostage included Muhammad Ali Baloch, Ikhtiar Brohi, Shams Junejo, Ghulam Jaffar and Wazir Gopang. Baloch, Jaffar and Gopang were released on Wednesday. In a video statement recorded during their captivity, the cops claimed that they were being treated well by the prisoners.

"They are serving us food and soft drinks," one of them said in the video. They also went on to claim that the prisoners did not subject them to physical torture. They even accused the new superintendent for increasing atrocities on the prisoners. However, after their release the three wardens blamed the inmates for beating them and for denying them food and tea during captivity.

Meanwhile, Assistant Jailer Abro denied that Langha was not allowed meeting his mother or that he was beaten. He alleged that the policemen were threatened to issue a video statement against the jail officials. The jail officials claim that the prisoners resort to protest to force the jail administration to accept their illegal demands like supply of narcotics and access to mobile phones.

In the last week of July the prisoners held a protest demanding removal of Kalwar and Dargahi. They claimed that 50 to 60 teargas shells were fired on the inmates, with two protesters displaying three of those shells in their hands. At least three inmates making videos can be seen in that recording, which was released from the prison.

Speaking to the media, Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister on Prisons Aijaz Jakhrani said such incidents happen in jails. This is not a one-off incident. "There are some issues in Larkana prison which need to be tackled. If we conduct operation, we fear a mishap". According to him, the administration is negotiating with the prisoners.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 12^th, 2021.