Shaheed Benazirabad DIG told to trace persons involved in Sakrand villagers’ killings

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed the Shaheed Benazirabad DIG to trace the persons involved in the alleged extrajudicial killings of four persons and injuring of nine others in the Marri Jalbani village in Sakrand town.

The direction came on Friday on a petition seeking a judicial probe into the killing of four villagers on September 29. 

The DIG filed a progress report of the case submitting that he had recorded statements of witnesses and the investigations had revealed that the incident was committed by 10 to 12 unidentified persons. He sought further time to trace the whereabouts of those unidentified persons.

A division bench comprising Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto and Justice Amjad Ali Sahito granted time to the officer and directed him to trace the unidentified persons involved in the killings.

The DIG submitted that he had also filed a report before the judicial magistrate concerned. Observing that the matter needed further investigations, the high court directed the judicial magistrate not to pass any order on the police report till further orders. A counsel for the Rangers also filed comments on the petitions. The high court directed the police officers to submit a progress report by January 15.

Senior advocates Tahmasp Rasheed Razvi, Zulfiqar Ali Jalbani and Aaquib Rajpar had submitted in the petition that four persons were killed and nine others, including women, injured in the incident that took place on September 29.

They submitted that there were contradictory statements with regard to the incident as on the one hand, it was stated that alleged militants of the Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army were killed in the operation of the police and Rangers, and on the other hand, the Sindh United Party’s (SUP) general secretary said those killed were supporters of the SUP and they were killed during a protest for the release of detained student Liaquat Jalbani, who was in the custody of law enforcement agencies.

They submitted that as per media reports, the SUP’s Benazirabad president identified the dead as Akhan Ali, his brother Nizamuddin, Mehar and Sajawal, while Allahdad and his other son Imamuddin received injuries.

They said two different versions had been narrated in the FIRs registered by villagers and the police against each other.

The advocates said the instant petition aimed to prevent violations of constitutional and legal rights of significant numbers of individuals, who may be economically or socially disadvantaged, poor or lacking in knowledge. The high court was requested to direct the chief secretary to constitute a judicial commission under the supervision of a high court judge in the interest of justice, equity and good conscience and comprising other relevant experts and persons to give its findings after probing the incident and fix responsibility. They also sought release of villagers who were illegally detained after the operation.