For the fourth day in a row, residents of Tando Bago in Badin, Sindh, have continued to protest against police brutality, following alleged torture and murder of a young man at the hands of police.
The leaders of the protesters allege that Station House Officer (SHO) Tando Bago, Bashir Ahmed Chandio, along with other police, tortured a man to death before throwing him into the Akram Wah canal.
The protesters claimed that the police officers arrested two men, Mir Maqsood aka Wasim Ahmed Talpur and Nooruddin Jat, from the jurisdiction of Talhar police station. The protesters allege that police killed Mr. Talpur instead of properly booking him.
Police officials contend that when they had tried to arrest Mr. Talpur and his accomplice, the young man jumped into the canal to avoid arrest. Police managed to arrest Nooruddin Jat for possession of 4,500 packets of chewing tobacco (gutkas).
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) MPA from Talhar, Mir Allah Bux Talpur, joined the protesters and said that he had taken up the issue within the Sindh government. He added that divers had been hired to recover the body from the canal.
Dilber Sindhi, leader of the Mirza Group, who has been leading the protest told the media that a poor man seemed to have lost his life due to brute force from the police, but no stern action or investigation was being taken.
The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Badin Mr. Shahnawaz Chachar has taken notice of the continuous protests by relatives and political activists, and placed SHO Chandio under suspension. The SSP assured the protesters of further action against those responsible and the recovery of the missing young man.
When contacted, Mr. Chachar confirmed the suspension of SHO Tando Bago and told the Friday Times that he had formed a police team under the supervision of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Talhar to investigate the matter further.
