Feudal landlord arrested for raping Hindu farmhand, SHC told

Police have arrested a feudal landlord for allegedly raping a Hindu girl who worked on his farm in Kunri, Umerkot, the deputy inspector general (DIG) of Mirpurkhas told the Sindh High Court on Monday.

Filing a progress report to SHC’s Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh, who took notice of the reports of the incident, the DIG submitted that a special investigation team headed by an SP was constituted to conduct fair and impartial investigation of the case.

Quoting the victim’s statement to police, the DIG told the court that she was a farmhand at fields owned by Nazir Ahmed Khaskheli and he raped her on December 26 when she was heading to her house. According to the police officer, the case was registered at Nabisar police station on December 28 and the victim underwent a medical examination and DNA analysis.

He added that the accused feudal Khaskheli was arrested on December 31 and taken to a medical officer for an examination; his samples were sent for chemical and DNA analysis as well.

The DIG further said that show-cause notices have been issued to the SHOs of Kunri and Nasibar police stations for their negligence in ascertaining territorial jurisdiction of the police stations and an explanation has also been sought from the Kunri SDPO.

He also said that the Umerkot SP has been directed to personally supervise the investigation till the case is finalised. After taking the report on record, the CJ directed the Umerkot sessions judge to monitor the investigation and directed the police to provide protection to the victim’s family.

Contempt plea against sugar mill owners

Separately, the SHC directed sugar mills owners to file a response to a contempt application submitted by sugarcane growers against them for disobeying the high court’s order which bounds mill owners to pay Rs172 per 40 kilogramme to farmers for the entire ongoing crushing season.

Filing contempt of court plea, Mureed Ali Shah, the counsel for sugarcane growers said that on December 23 in an interim order the SHC had directed sugar mills to pay Rs172 per 40 kilogrammes to sugarcane growers and furnish the security of differential amount to the Nazir of the court.

He submitted that court had also directed sugar mills owners to file a statement along with affidavit stating that they were paying Rs172 per 40kg and would continue to do so for the entirety of the present crushing season till otherwise permitted by the court.

Shah added that the court had made it clear that if the mill owners did not file the statement within the due date or offer a lesser price to growers then on application of any party, contempt proceedings may be initiated against the chief executive or directors of the delinquent sugar mills.

Despite the court order, sugar mills of Sindh have suspended sugarcane crushing for an indefinite period and are not issuing permits to the petitioners at Rs172 per 40kg adding that it was an act of contempt of court orders, he said.

He requested the court to punish and order the detention of the chief executives and/or directors of Al-Noor sugar mills, Khairpur sugar mills and others as well as the attachment of their properties for wilful disobedience of the court order.

Member inspection team member submitted before the court that he had received two complaints against the sugar mills – one about payment of less than the set price and another about closure of mills.

The court then issued notices to Al-Noor and Khairpur sugar mills owners, chairman sugar mills association and the cane commissioner seeking their response. Meanwhile, sugar mills also filed an application for review of the court orders claiming that the notified price was not viable and sugar mills have to operate at a loss.

Their counsel Farogh Naseem submitted that sugar mills could not pay the government’s notified price and sought a review of the court orders. He added that mills have been complying with the court orders.