Eight cops held hostage during protests, clashes in Central Jail Larkana

SUKKUR: Eight policemen were held hostage by prisoners in the Central Prison, Larkana, following clashes between the prisoners and policemen on Wednesday.

The protests began when the police refused permission to a prisoner to meet his visiting mother. The problem aggravated to an extent that the prisoners came out of their barracks prompting the police to conduct action and detain two convicts Moosa Langhah and Riaz Chandio in another barrack. The prisoners attacked the police and scuffled with them, eventually holding eight of them hostage, forcing the prison staff to summon assistance from the Larkana Police. Two of the badly thrashed hostage policemen Ghulam Murtaza Junejo and Muhammed Ali Gopang were released by the prisoners after their condition turned unstable due to severe thrashing. They were later despatched to Chandka Medical College and Hospital, Larkana. The issues were settled when DIG Jails Raja Mumtaz held negotiations with the protesting prisoners and returned Moosa Langhah and Riaz Chandio to their barracks. Following this, all the eight policemen were also set free. According to Incharge Central Prison Larkana, Sohail Abro, the prisoners were making illegal demands which were not possible to be meet.

According to sources, protests and clashes by prisoners in the Larkana Jail have become a routine problem. The use of drugs, mobile phones, liquor have become common in the Central Jail. Most of the time the disputes are settled by the tribal chiefs.