A file photo of Sindh Police personnel. PHOTO: AFP
HYDERABAD:
Umerkot resident Syed Ali Haider Shah has a different story to tell on Sunday about alleged police brutality against women and girls in the recent eviction incident in Umerkot.
The images of beaten women and a young woman sitting in a police car whose chador, a symbol of modesty in rural society, was taken from her, created a storm on social networks and in political circles.
At least 10 police officers were suspended for excessive use of force. The squatters were allowed to return to the plot from which they were evicted.
The legal owner of the land, Haider Shah, said the suffering of the Machhi community could have been avoided if the court order to vacate the land had been complied with.
Addressing a press conference at the Hyderabad Press Club along with Habib Shah and Saif Shah, she condemned the humiliation suffered by women and girls during the eviction process, stating that such a situation would not have arisen if the Machhi community had vacated the land in accordance with the court’s directives.
Ali Haider Shah said that plots 909 and 916, measuring 10,000 square feet, 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 reside in about 2,000 square feet of land. However, after selling the property, the previous owner asked them to vacate the space. They initially asked for some time, but then went to court.
He said his late father fought a protracted legal battle to establish ownership of the land and after his father’s death, power was transferred to his mother. According to him, the case continued for 32 years and eventually courts at all levels declared the Machhi community’s claim false and ordered the land to be vacated.
He added that the court had ordered that the plots be vacated and possession given to them in the presence of a municipal inspector, a bailiff and the police. However, when the operation was carried out, members of the Machhi community refused to vacate the land, worsening the situation. The action was later postponed following the intervention of local elders to allow tensions to ease.
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 his family’s reputation. He maintained that they possessed all the legal documents for the property but still had to fight a long legal battle.
He alleged that instead of occupying 2,000 square feet, the Machhi community had taken over the entire 10,000 square feet plot. He appealed to social media users and the public to examine the matter carefully and form an opinion only after hearing both sides to ensure justice and avoid injustice or humiliation to anyone.
