DADU, July 21: A case was lodged against SHO of Bhan Syedabad police station and three other police officials on Saturday on charges of torturing to death an activist of Sindh United Party, Taj Mohammad Solangi, on Thursday.

Sub inspector Aijaz Soomro registered the FIR at Bhan Syedabad police station on behalf of state and put behind bars SHO Mohammad Ali Lashari, head constable Mohammad Usman and constables Mohammad Aijaz and Mohammad Shabbir.

The accused were remanded in police custody for five days by the court of senior civil judge in Sehwan.

According to the FIR, Taj Solangi, 42, son of Ghulam Nabi Solangi of Purano Goath village was arrested near railway crossing by a joint team of Bhan Syedabad and Sehwan police when he was going to Dadu along with his brother Umid Ali, brother-in-law Yaseen and cousin Deedar.

Police tortured Taj to death and threw his body in a sugarcane crop near the town on Thursday, which was spotted by area people and relatives late in the evening.

The relatives and SUP activists placed the body on the Dadu-Sehwan section of the Indus Highway near the town and held a demonstration on Friday. They also observed a strike in Sehwan, Bhan Syedabad and Manjhand towns against the murder. The body was later brought to taluka hospital Sehwan.

Medical superintendent Moeen Siddiqui said the body had torture marks on the back. Samples of viscera had been sent to a laboratory in Karachi for examination, he said.

DEMONSTRATIONS: SUP activists held protests in Bhan Syedabad and Sehwan towns on Saturday against the murder of their colleague.

They marched to the Bhan Syedabad police station where their leaders made speeches. They said that police had also arrested Taj’s relatives. Taj had died after torture on the spot and police threw away his body in the nearby sugarcane crop, they said.

Police had lodged a fake FIR with charges of possession of illegal arms and encounter with police against the three others relatives of Taj, they said and demanded their immediate release.

An SUP leader Roshan Ali Buriro accused SSP Farukh Bashir of victimising SUP activists. The party had already lodged protest against the SSP, he said. He said that Taj was an active activist of SUP who had also remained his body guard. He was killed because he refused to change his loyalty, he alleged.

He said that police were mounting pressure on relatives of late Taj to withdraw the case.