
The police have registered a case against 50 suspects for burning Hindu property but are bracing for more reaction in Pannu Aqil over allegations that a Hindu chowkidar sexually assaulted a Kalhoro girl.
The alleged incident took place on Thursday. According to the allegations, the gatekeeper of a school in Sufi Mohalla, Sadhu Ram, lured a seven-year-old Kalhoro girl into the school and attempted to molest her. People reportedly heard the screams and rushed to her rescue. More than two dozen armed men believed to be from the Kalhoro clan then raided the town and attacked Hindu shops.
On Friday, Shahi Bazaar stayed closed, as members of the Hindu community feared another attack from the clansmen. The area was quite tense as a police mobile was also attacked near Eidgah Chowk.
Sukkur SSP Saqib Ismail Memon, who has been in Pannu Aqil since Thursday, told The Express Tribune that the violence was not justified as the chowkidar had been arrested. The SSP added that the police had killed two men linked to the case, Nazir Mirani and Abdul Sattar Dayo, in an encounter while six people, including five criminals and a policeman were injured.
The Hindus do not believe that the sexual assault took place and the entire matter was orchestrated to harass the Hindu community, which includes well-off traders.
Discussing the attack, the general secretary of the Hindu Panchayat in Pannu Aqil, Dr Hari Lal, told The Express Tribune that when the principal was informed about the alleged assault, he had rushed to the school but the girl was not there. “An hour later, the principal received another phone call, informing him that the girl had just come out and that her father N. Kalhoro had registered a case against the chowkidar,” he said. The girl’s father was unavailable for comment but one of his neighbours claimed that he had seen the chowkidar take the girl inside the school only to let her go because she did not stop screaming. The neighbour added that a criminal had asked him to file an FIR against the chowkidar. A doctor at the taluka hospital told The Express Tribune that so far there had been no evidence of rape. The hospital in-charge, Dr Suhrab Shaikh, said, however, that it was too early to comment.
This violence has renewed fear and triggered debate in the town. For the panchayat’s Dr Hari Lal, this violence reminded him of earlier attacks that erupted in December 2007. “More than 100 men raided the city and opened fire on our shops and people,” he said. “The men stole lots of cash and broke into Mansha Mal and Kaku Mal’s house as well.”
Otherwise, the general perception is that Hindus and Muslims have lived together peacefully for decades. Grocery shop owner Dhano Mal told The Express Tribune that if a misunderstanding did take place, they should resolve the matter and not use violence. And, not all members of the Kalhoro clan were vengeful. Abdul Majeed Kalhoro said that a handful of people had brought a bad name to the whole community. “No doubt the chowidar committed a crime by assaulting the girl but since he is under arrest we should wait and watch for what is right or wrong,” he said.
“Why does the whole community have to pay from one man’s crime?” asked another resident, Wazir Chachar. No one has the right to take the law into their hands as the chowkidar has been arrested.
HRCP alarmed by assault on non-Muslims
A statement issued by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said that they were extremely distressed at what had happened to non-Muslim residents of Pannu Aqil. “The HRCP has received reports of houses burnt, property looted and women violated. This is absolutely intolerable. Those who commit excesses against non-Muslims are among the worst enemies of Pakistan,” said HRCP chairperson Zohra Yusuf. “The government must immediately intervene to save the citizens from this savagery and try those who riled up and led the mob to attack the non-Muslims and heaped shame upon the nation by their barbaric actions.”
Published in The Express Tribune, September 10th, 2011.
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