Veerji Kohli, a staunch Hindu human rights activist of Pakistan, has been falsely implicated in a murder case for raising his voice for scheduled caste Hindus.
Veerji Kohli, a staunch Hindu human rights activist of Pakistan, has been falsely implicated in a murder case for raising his voice for scheduled caste Hindus.
Veerji is a prominent human rights defender and works with Mehargarh, particularly on the issue of bonded labour. He has secured the release of many women, children and men from feudal lords of the district where a sizeable number from Kolhi community resides. The only crime committed by Veerji Kohli was that he took a strong stance against the biased attitude of the Pakistani police in a rape case of a Hindu girl Kastoori Kohli that involved local feudal lords. A high-level inquiry later proved that the police was biased and services of four police officers were terminated.
The feudal lords involved in the case were Raees Ghani Khan Khosa and Bachal Khan Khosa. In retaliation, Kohli was kidnapped and kept in a dungeon for four days. However, under pressure from some politicians, senior police officials, members of civil society, media men and human rights activists, Kohli was eventually released. But the rapists of Kastoori, along with powerful feudal lords of Nagarparkar, did not bury the hatchet.
On the night of February 2, 2011, the culprits opened indiscriminate fire on Kohli’s car and eventually implicated him in a fake murder case that took place in Nagarparkar while in reality he was in Hyderabad. After an incident on May 20, 2011, Raees Ghani Khan Khosa and Bachal Khan Khosa nominated him as a prime accused, and used their clout to pressurize the police to issue a challan under section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
In a statement issued the other day, Kohli has stated that if those who fight for the rights of the oppressed and the victims of violence are victimized by the brokers of power, no one would dare to take a stand on human rights. He has appealed to the president of Pakistan, the prime minister, chief justice of Pakistan, federal minister for minority affairs, chairperson of Parliamentary Committee on Minority Rights, and friends in the media, civil society, rights activists to withdraw the false and fabricated case of murder against him and take action against those behind the frame-up.
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