KARACHI: Additional District and Sessions Judge, Dadu, Shafi Muhammad Pirzado, rejected the bail plea of eight accused, including sons of influential Pir of Ranipur, involved in hunting and then slaughtering a doe of rare species.
Pir Sakhi Saleh Shah and Ali Raza Shah, sons of influential Pir of Ranipur, Pir Roshan Shah, along with their six disciples, reportedly hunted a deer near Dadu on November 15, 2020, despite the ban on poaching and hunting.
The officials of the Wildlife Department woke up when a video went viral on the social media. The video shows villagers armed with wooden sticks and a man holding a gun in the paddy crop near village Sher Muhammad Solangi about eight kilometers from the Dadu city.
The deer, injured by gunshot, was caught and immediately slaughtered by the villagers, who also took out live fawn (kid) from her. The video also showed that they took the slaughtered deer and her fawn in a car and escaped.
Renowned lawyer advocate Pir Ghulam Muhammad filed a petition before the Sessions Court, Dadu, complaining about the negligent role of the area police and officials of the Sindh Wildlife Department and prayed for immediate action, including arrest of hunters and their facilitators.
The case was transferred to the Third Additional Sessions Judge, Dadu, Shafi Muhammad Pirzado, who issued notices to concerned officials to clear their position about the hunting of a female deer and submit report.
Meanwhile, the Sindh Wildlife Department registered a First Offence Report (FOR) number 35/2020 against eight persons, including sons of the Pir and their associates Abdul Sattar Hattar, Akbar Dargahi Chandio, Sikanadar Ali Sheno, Ali Nawaz Hatar, Ghulam Mustafa Chnadio and Muhammad Juman Chandio. All the accused persons got protective bail from the Sindh High Court and appeared before the trial court of Third Additional and Sessions Judge, who after listening to the arguments of prosecution and defence, rejected the bail plea.
Despite the rejection of the bail application, local police and offcials of the Wildlife Department allegedly provided a chance to both sons of Pir and two of their associates to flee and arrested the other three persons -- Sikandar Sheno, Abdul Sattar and Ghulam Nabi Chandio.
The Wildlife Department Game Inspector, Abdul Qayoom Channa, narrated before the court that eight people had been booked in the First Offence Report number 35/2020 and investigation was under way. He said accused Sattar Hattar, who facilitated the Pir’s son for hunting a female deer, and Akbar Chandio, who slaughtered the deer were among the seven offenders. Inspector Channa said their teams are conducting raids to recover small deer (fawn).
The local people also informed that landlords and political parties’ influential persons are involved in hunting of deer and rare birds in riverine areas of Indus like Keti Laliya, Keti Kherra, Keti Jatoi and also in hilly areas like Gorakh, Karo Mountain and Nai Gaajj, besides other hilly areas of Dadu district but the Wildlife Department officials keep mum about it.
