A file photo of Sindh Police personnel. PHOTO: AFP
HYDERABAD:
Syed Ali Haider Shah, a resident of Umerkot, on Sunday has a different story to tell about the alleged police brutality against women and girls in the recent eviction incident in Umerkot.
The images of women being beaten and a young girl sitting in a police mobile, her chador – a symbol of modesty in rural society – ripped away, created a storm on social media as well as political circles.
At least 10 police officers were suspended for using excessive force. Squatters were allowed to go back to the plot from which they were evicted.
The legal owner of the plot, Haider Shah, said the suffering of the Machhi community could have been avoided if the court order to vacate the plot had been complied with.
Addressing a press conference at the Hyderabad Press Club along with Habib Shah and Saif Shah, he condemned the humiliation women and girls faced during the eviction process and said such a situation would not have arisen if the Machhi community had left the country as per the court’s directives.
Ali Haider Shah said that plots No. 909 and 916 measuring 10,000 square meters were purchased by his late father, Syed Hussain Ali Shah, from Alam Palli about three decades ago. He explained that earlier Alam Khan Palli had temporarily allowed the Machhi community to live on about 2,000 square meters of the land. However, after selling the property, the former owner asked them to vacate the site. They initially sought some time, but later approached the courts.
He said his late father fought a protracted legal battle to establish ownership of the land and after his father’s death, the power of attorney was transferred to their mother. According to him, the case continued for 32 years and ultimately courts at all levels declared the Machhi community’s claim false and ordered the land vacated.
He added that the court had ordered that the plots be vacated and possession handed over to them in the presence of a city inspector, bailiff and police. However, when the operation was carried out, members of the Machhi community refused to leave the country, worsening the situation. The action was later postponed following the intervention of local elders to let tensions subside.
Ali Haider Shah further said that a campaign had been launched against them on social media without hearing their side of the story, which he described as unfair and damaging to their family’s reputation. He maintained that they were in possession of all legal documents of the property, but still had to fight a protracted legal battle.
He alleged that instead of occupying 2,000 square meters, the Machhi community had taken over the entire 10,000 square meters plot. He appealed to social media users and the public to look into the matter carefully and form an opinion only after hearing both sides to ensure justice and avoid injustice or humiliation to anyone.
