Landlords burn homes of peasants over demanding share in crop
REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE
Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) while taking suo-moto notice of landlords' brutality to set peasants houses on fire in Sanghar district has written a letter to the Shaheed Benazriabad DIG police to ensure action on the case against the culprits and provide justice to the poor farmers.
According to reports, the landlords namely Rasool Bux Gundaro and Sultan Ali with the help of their people set two houses of peasants on fire in Chak96 within Mangli Police jurisdiction when poor farmers demanded their due share from the wheat crop.
The peasants, Hout Shaikh and Naib Shaikh with their family were living on the agricultural land where the dispute occurred and it went viral on social media.
"After harvesting, the landlords tried to take away all the wheat stock, but peasants argued to get their share that ensued to the dispute among them," SHRC Chairperson Iqbal Detho said.
Initially, police were reluctant to register a case against the landlords on the complaint of sharecroppers. However, Detho said, when the civil society members protested , police registered the FIR without mentioning section 436, 427 PPC that deals with mischief by fire or explosives substance with intent to destroy houses, he said.
SHRC has asked Shaheed Benazirabad DIG to include proper sections in the FIR and bring the culprits before the court of law.
According to Detho this inhuman practice of snatching share in the crop from peasants and their exploitation at the hands of landed class must come to an end. "We are now trying to enforce the law and mobilise the concerned authorities for providing relief to the masses without discrimination," he said, "We work round the clock only heave sigh of relief when justice is meted out to the poor people," he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 15th, 2023.