Missing coordinator of Mehergarh returns home
August 24, 2010
Islamabad:
Coordinator Mehergarh Hyderabad and Senior Member of HRCP Hyderabad Veerji Kohli who went missing on the evening of August 19 under mysterious circumstances, came back home on Monday.
As suspected by the civil society, he was kidnapped to influence the case proceedings of a 17-year-old victim of gang rape, Kastori Kohli. He was the main support behind the Kohli community which, after getting tired of frequent rapes of young farmer women by the influential feudal, dared to report the gang rape of 17-year-old Kastori with the help of Veerji Kohli.
He was kidnapped on Thursday, August 19, when he was on his way back from Hyderabad Press Club. Veerji is also known among civil society for his struggle against bonded labour. He himself was an ex-bonded labour who escaped only a few years ago.
To get media support for his immediate release, Mehergarh graduates and employees continuously held press conferences and protests in front of National Press Club during past three days.
Talking to ‘The News’, Krishna Lal Kohli, Veerji’s sister, said that her brother was back on Monday morning. “They released him on the promise that he will take back the case of Kastori Kohli,” she said. “We have no other option but to take the case back. It has become the matter of our brother’s life,” said Krishna.
She said that they will take the final decision in their meeting. “The kidnappers did not torture him to the extent we were expecting but they were continuously demanding him to take the case back,” she said.
Programme Director Mehergarh, Islamabad, Maliha Hussain said that they were relieved to hear the good news. “We were worried about his life as we were expecting his kidnappers to go to any extent to stop him,” she said.
For last couple of weeks, Veerji, a father of two little children, was being threatened by Raees Bachal Khoso who has the support of Ghulam Qadir Mari to take the police case back. Raees is the father of three accused rapist, Ramazan Bachal Khoso, Habibullah and Ghulam Nabi, who were part of the heinous crime.
Kastori Kohli was gang raped in Mokario, a small village near Nagarparker, Sindh. This rape case was extremely significant as it changed the local dynamics of a village in Nagarparkar where the entire population came on the streets to side with Kastoori Kolhi.
Despite ample evidence available against the rapists and 40 villagers ready to record their eye witness account of the blatant violation of human rights, the local police refused to register the case. With his partners, Veerji Kohli took the issue to Provincial Assembly and the National Assembly, which culminated in the form of Inspector General Police constituting special inquiry board, including three District Police Officers.
At the conclusion of this inquiry, the committee suspended Superintendent Police Officer of Chachro and head Moharir of police station Nagarparker. They also terminated Station House Officer (SHO) and Investigation Officer of police station, Nagarparker.
The rapists Ramzan Bachal Khoso and Verio Guraro were arrested. The other two rapists, Habibullah and Ghulam Nabi, two older brothers of Ramzan Khoso, ran away and have been trying to get bail. They have been able to get interim bail from high court so far.
A few days ago, Raees Bachal Khoso accompanied by the people of Ghulam Qadir Mari visited Veerji in his Mehergarh office in Hyderabad and threatened dire consequences if he failed to persuade Kastori and her parents for compromise.
Coordinator Mehergarh Hyderabad and Senior Member of HRCP Hyderabad Veerji Kohli who went missing on the evening of August 19 under mysterious circumstances, came back home on Monday.
As suspected by the civil society, he was kidnapped to influence the case proceedings of a 17-year-old victim of gang rape, Kastori Kohli. He was the main support behind the Kohli community which, after getting tired of frequent rapes of young farmer women by the influential feudal, dared to report the gang rape of 17-year-old Kastori with the help of Veerji Kohli.
He was kidnapped on Thursday, August 19, when he was on his way back from Hyderabad Press Club. Veerji is also known among civil society for his struggle against bonded labour. He himself was an ex-bonded labour who escaped only a few years ago.
To get media support for his immediate release, Mehergarh graduates and employees continuously held press conferences and protests in front of National Press Club during past three days.
Talking to ‘The News’, Krishna Lal Kohli, Veerji’s sister, said that her brother was back on Monday morning. “They released him on the promise that he will take back the case of Kastori Kohli,” she said. “We have no other option but to take the case back. It has become the matter of our brother’s life,” said Krishna.
She said that they will take the final decision in their meeting. “The kidnappers did not torture him to the extent we were expecting but they were continuously demanding him to take the case back,” she said.
Programme Director Mehergarh, Islamabad, Maliha Hussain said that they were relieved to hear the good news. “We were worried about his life as we were expecting his kidnappers to go to any extent to stop him,” she said.
For last couple of weeks, Veerji, a father of two little children, was being threatened by Raees Bachal Khoso who has the support of Ghulam Qadir Mari to take the police case back. Raees is the father of three accused rapist, Ramazan Bachal Khoso, Habibullah and Ghulam Nabi, who were part of the heinous crime.
Kastori Kohli was gang raped in Mokario, a small village near Nagarparker, Sindh. This rape case was extremely significant as it changed the local dynamics of a village in Nagarparkar where the entire population came on the streets to side with Kastoori Kolhi.
Despite ample evidence available against the rapists and 40 villagers ready to record their eye witness account of the blatant violation of human rights, the local police refused to register the case. With his partners, Veerji Kohli took the issue to Provincial Assembly and the National Assembly, which culminated in the form of Inspector General Police constituting special inquiry board, including three District Police Officers.
At the conclusion of this inquiry, the committee suspended Superintendent Police Officer of Chachro and head Moharir of police station Nagarparker. They also terminated Station House Officer (SHO) and Investigation Officer of police station, Nagarparker.
The rapists Ramzan Bachal Khoso and Verio Guraro were arrested. The other two rapists, Habibullah and Ghulam Nabi, two older brothers of Ramzan Khoso, ran away and have been trying to get bail. They have been able to get interim bail from high court so far.
A few days ago, Raees Bachal Khoso accompanied by the people of Ghulam Qadir Mari visited Veerji in his Mehergarh office in Hyderabad and threatened dire consequences if he failed to persuade Kastori and her parents for compromise.
