Conflicting versions emerge for villagers’ attack on Bello Mirpur SHO

Villagers claim the police personnel had attempted to assault a woman

SUKKUR:

Ghotki police have yet to ascertain the reason behind the incident in which the Bello Mirpur police station SHO and two other police personnel were beaten and injured by villagers in Ghulam Abad Mirpur Mathelo on Friday night.

Najma, who is the main character of the story, denied making a phone call to the police in her statement before the court. Sources claimed, however, that the woman produced in court was not Najma.

On Friday night, Bello Mirpur police station SHO Sanwal Bozdar, accompanied by ASI Lehno Bozdar and constable Sharbat Golato, went to Ghulam Abad village and allegedly broke into the house of Ashiq Mirani.

The police personnel had allegedly tried to assault, Najma, the wife of Ashiq Mirani.



The woman and her children reportedly started shouting for help, which were responded by neighbours who rushed to their aid and caught the police personnel.

Subsequently, they started beating them up. As a result, SHO Sanwal Bozdar was seriously injured, while the other two personnel sustained minor injuries.

In the meantime, the constable Golato somehow managed to escape and called for backup. DSP Raunti Mohsin Raza Jandan reached the site with a police party and negotiated with the villagers, after which the SHO and ASI were released.

An hour later, Mirpur Mathelo SHO raided the house and arrested 10 people, including a woman. On the other hand, the Bello Mirpur police station has also registered an FIR against 29 people on the charge of attacking police personnel.

Najma's father, Abdul Majeed Mirani, who is a teacher and resident of village Vango, located adjacent to Ghulam Abad village, told The Express Tribune that he had married his daughter, Najma, to his nephew, Ashiq, in exchange for his sister 10 days ago.

Majeed claimed that another man, identified as Dilbar Khokhar, was fighting with him over a plot of land and was using the police to harass him. He claimed that as the personnel were in plainclothes, the villagers assumed they were dacoits and attacked them. "We only came to know about their identity when DSP Raunti came to their rescue," he claimed.



Majeed went on to say that the police had arrested eight members of his family, including two women. One of the women was later released while the whereabouts of the other are still unknown.

When asked about the identity of the woman produced in court, Majeed maintained the person had indeed been Najma.

According to Majeed's neighbours, he wanted to marry Najma to his nephew, Ashiq, in exchange for the latter's sister, who is married to his son, Imran Mirani. Najma, however, wanted to marry a Pitafi boy in her neighbourhood, but was forcibly married to Ashiq Mirani in what was a watta satta arrangment.

According to the sources, after three days of marriage, Ashiq had complained to his father-in-law about Najma's attitude. Subsequently, Ashiq Mirani had come to know about his wife's interest in some other man and declared her kari. Najma's neighbour gave her the number of Bello Mirpur police station and she had called the police to seek help.

Madadgar National Helpline Karachi field officer Bushra Syed told The Express Tribune that she had come to know about the threat to Najma's life and had immediately contacted Ghotki police.

Expressing anxiety over the strong reaction of the villagers against the police, she was of the belief they were trying to cover up something.

DSP Jandan, on the other hand, clarified that at the time of the raid, the SHO was in plain clothes, but the other policemen were in proper dress.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2014.