Land mafia: Citizens chase off graveyard grabbers

The DCO did not respond despite being called several times: Protesters.

BAHAWALPUR:

As many as five people were injured as hundreds protested against land grabbers who tried to occupy 11 acres of graveyard land in New Satellite Town on Monday.

The Auqaf Department has allotted 26 acres for the graveyard in New Satellite Town. Accompanied by a patwari of the Revenue Department, Izharul Haq Shah, and his brother Anwaarul Haq, dozens of men on Monday, tore down the boundary wall of the graveyard and started flattening graves for construction. When Asghar Ali, caretaker of the graveyard, tried to stop them, they beat him up.

Hundreds of residents of the area then gathered and protested against the land grabbers. Some of them were attacked by the land-grab gang and Arshad, Aslam, Imran and Ejaz were injured.



The protesters said that they called Bahawalpur District Coordination Officer Sajid Zafar several times, but he did not respond. No one from the administration or police came to the site even after several hours had passed, they said.

Still the residents of the area forced the men to stop construction and leave. Assistant Commissioner Saima arrived at the scene  and assured them that a report on the incident would be sent to the DCO and the graveyard’s boundary would be reconstructed.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 16^th, 2013.