‘Powerless’ Ghotki protesters condemn heat-induced death

Seven people were injured when the police baton charged a protest against the Sepco in Ghotki on Friday.

GHOTKI: Seven people were injured when the police baton charged a protest against the Sukkur Electric and Power Company (Sepco) in Ghotki on Friday.

Residents of Ghotki plot No. 9 staged a demonstration outside the Sepco office to protest the death of 50-year-old Ahmed Ali Arain, who died of extreme heat while observing aiteqaaf after the authorities have failed to provide electricity for the past 20 days. Protesters attacked the office and its employees with bricks.

Three Sepco employees, identified as Rasul Baksh Sial, Syed Quwat Ali Shah, and Asif Arain were injured, as well as three protesters, identified as Naveed Arain, Ibrahim Brohi and Abid Arain.

Angry residents of the neighborhood also set tires ablaze. Police responded to the situation by baton-charging the gathering to bring it under control.

The injured were taken to Taluka Hospital, Ghotki. Three of them, Rasul Baksh Sial, Asif Arain and Ibrahim Brohi, were critically injured and moved to a hospital in Sukkur.

According to Ghotki residents, the transformer had previously burnt down, but they had collected donations to fund its repair. When it developed a fault again, they complained to the authorities, but Sepco employees allegedly asked for bribes and refused to attend to the problem.

The area has been without electricity for nearly three weeks. Residents said that they had planned a peaceful demonstration outside the Sepco premises, but claim to have been pulled inside and beaten up by officials.

They have stated their intention to file a petition in court against Sepco.

Wapda union officials Suhbat Ali Memon and Abdur Rauf said that the protesters were rioting and deliberately damaged their property and injured the staff.

They claim to have registered cases against 19 people and have threatened to cut off electricity to the entire district if arrests are not made. However, the Ghotki police said that no cases had been registered and no arrests had been made.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 4^th, 2010.