Land grabbers ‘beat up women with sticks’, occupy houses

BAHAWALPUR: At least two women were badly tortured by alleged land grabbers in Hussainabad Village, Lodhran on Monday.

According to police, Nasreen Mai and Naseem Mai were brought in injured condition to District Headquarters Hospital, Lodhran for emergency medical treatment.

The victims told the police that armed men belonging to Joiya Tribe barged into their houses when the male members were not present.

They said the culprits tortured them and beat them with sticks. As a result, they suffered critical injuries.

They added the armed men occupied their houses and shops. The victims said in 1986, the government allotted residential plots to their family under the five-marla scheme in Moza Hussainabad.

They said under the scheme, five plots were allotted to Muhammad Iqbal, Saeed Ahmed, Iqbal, Muhammad Siddique and Muhammad Aslam where they constructed houses and also converted two rooms into shops to earn their livelihood.

The injured women claimed the culprits not only tortured them, but they also expelled them from their houses and occupied them illegally.

They appealed to the government to provide shelter and save them from the armed land grabbers.

Meanwhile, the police have registered a case and started investigation.