BADIN: Under a compromise reached between the Badin police and some Bhurgari families of Allah Rakhyo Bhurgari village near Nindo Shahar, three elderly women were released on Monday and the FIR registered against them and 47 other suspects regarding the May 27 clash was agreed to be modified. The clash had left a policeman and five other men and women injured.

A team of the Nindo Shahar police station in civvies had raided several houses to recover a young girl allegedly kidnapped by a group of villagers, including her relatives. Taking the plainclothes personnel to be intruders, inmates of the raided houses caught hold of two of them. They turned out to be the SHO and a constable of the Talhar police station. A large number of villagers posed a stiff resistance to what they believed was trespassing and forced the other members of the raiding team to flee the village.

A big police force led by a DSP was sent to the village three hours later to rescue the twopolicemen. Villagers said that the police force beat up men and women, torched a few houses and ransacked several others. Yousuf Bhurgari, his wife Begum Bhurgari, a constable and some other people were injured during the police action.

The couple, along with a 70-year-old woman, Ms Jhami, and 47 other men and women were booked for attacking police, holding policemen hostage, creating a law and order situation and other charges under the Pakistan Penal Code and AntiTerrorism Act.

The police raid by civvies and the follow-up action was criticised by the media and civil society organisations, besides Pakistan Peoples Party and af fected villager s.

It was gathered that the provincial government through some influential local PPP activists intervened in the matter following which Tando Bago DSP Yaqub Burirro was assigned an inquiry into the whole affair. On a directive of the Hyderabad range DIG Dr Sanaullah Abbasi, the Badin SSP appointed DSP Burirro as the inquiry ofñcer, sources said. The DSP also visited the village late on Sundayevening for first-hand information.

After holding talks with notables of the area, the DSP came out with a deal under which names of all 10 women would be removed from the FIR lodged by the Talhar SHO; three arrested women, Begum Bhurgari, Ms Jhami and Ms Anila, would be set free; a new FIR would be registered against 25 men and no ATA section would be applied; and, in turn, no villager concerned would move any court of law against the policemen involve d in the raid and follow-up action.

An undertaking in this regard was signed by the two sides on Monday and the three arrested women were set free.

DSP Burirro told Dawn that the existing FIR would be withdrawn and a new one registered after completing legal formalities. The 25 male suspects would be produced in the Badin district and sessions court in due course of time, he added.

He said that Badin SSP Khalid Mustafa Korai would look into the allegations of manhandling of women and children by police during the raid and the ensuing police action.