The plot (survey No. 136, 137 & 138) measuring about 40 acres is located in Deh and Tappo has been illegally occupied by land grabbers despite Sindh High Court orders which allowed the bank to erect a wall to prevent any further illegal occupation.
In June, NBP came to know that some men were trying to grab the piece of land. The bank immediately approached the Manghopir police station concerned and provided them with the land documents on June 21.
NBP gave the SHO a reminder on July 6 as no action had been taken. A letter was also written to Anti-Encroachment Cell SP Irfan Bahadur on July 12. On August 1, an NBP team along with security guards visited the site. But as soon as they just stepped out of their vehicles and started moving towards the plot, the land grabbers opened fire on them.
NBP’s Security In-charge, Major Nasir, was seriously injured and had to be taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital in critical condition and then to Aga Khan Hospital where he remained in the Intensive Care Unit for many days. An FIR was lodged on August 2.
The land grabbing case was lodged in the Sindh High Court (vide suit No. 959 of 2011) on July 20. The court ordered the relevant SHO to cooperate with the bank as it built the wall at the site. According to the court order dated August 4, the wall went up. NBP took possession from the Manghopir SHO on August 16 and posted its own private security guards.
On August 29, at around 8 pm, again about 12 to 15 criminal elements attacked the site with automatic weapons and wrested control from the security guards.
The wall was partly demolished. Now the land is in illegal possession of the land grabbers and police station has made no effort to vacate it.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 8th, 2011.
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