DADU: The Sehwan police had to comply with a court order to register an FIR against their former SHO and his team members, along with three civilian suspects, in a custodial death case after several hundred Solangi tribesmen blocked a section of Indus Highway near the city on Sunday.

Members of the tribe, along with civil society activists, had been holding demonstrations in other parts of Sehwan and some other cities and towns for the last three weeks for legal action against the policemen and other suspects.

The victim, Khalil Solangi, 24, had died in police custody on July 31 after which his family had accused then SHO, his five colleagues of having tortured him to death in the lock-up at the behest of three civilian people.

Khalil’s family resides in Bandar Mohallah of Sehwan. His mother, Sakina Solangi, had also moved court to seek justice. Eventually, according to the family, the additional sessions judge of Jamshoro at Sehwan ordered the Sehwan police to register an FIR against then SHO Mazhar Naich, writer head constable (WHC) Amanullah Mallah and constables Manzoor Manganhar, Bashir Abro, Imtiaz Memon and Mubeen Halipoto, as well as three civilian suspects Fahim Detho, Abdul Ghaffar Detho and Mohammad Ayub. “When the FIR was not registered till Saturday evening, we decided to take to the street,” Khalil’s relatives told the media while sitting in a protest camp pitched in the middle of the Sehwan section of Indus Highway on Sunday. The protesters also held a noisy demonstration outside the Sehwan police station.

Giving in to the mounting pressure, the senior police authorities asked the Sehwan police to register the FIR on the complaint of Sakina Solangi. Accordingly, the FIR (No. 106/24) was registered under Sections 302, 342, 147, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code. Soon after wards, the protesters dispersed peacefully, the Jamshoro SSP told Dawn, adding that the highway was now clear and normal vehicular traffic had resumed.

Earlier, hundreds of vehicles remained stranded along the highway for about six hours due to the blockade by protesters.

Khalil’s father, Moham-mad Khan Solangi, told the media that his family was receiving threats of dire consequences for pressing the police to book the suspects.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2024