Police registered a first information report (FIR) against six persons and arrested two for torturing a camel in Tharparkar, reported the 24NewsHD TV channel on Wednesday.
As per the FIR, influential people kept the camel hungry and thirsty in the barn for several days because of the fodder.
The accused tied the camel's feet and hit it in the face with sticks. The FIR stated that the incident occurred in the village of Bigal Rind, tehsil Dahili.
The FIR was registered on behalf of Neelo Meghwar after he stated that he had waited for 10 days and waited for the elder of his village to deliver justice to him, but after failure, he approached the police station for filing of FIR.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah also directed authorities to proceed strictly against those accused of gouging out the eyes of a female camel after allegedly subjecting it to severe abuse in a village of Tharparkar.
The chief minister termed the incident an inhumane act and said cruelty towards animals could not be tolerated.
In a statement, he also instructed the Tharparkar livestock department to ensure the camel received immediate veterinary care, and sought a report on the matter from the deputy inspector general of police in Mirpurkhas.
The case came to light after the camel’s owner, Sarang Neelo Meghwar, appeared outside the Chachro Press Club with the badly injured animal.
He told local residents and journalists that a group of men from the Rind community had attacked the camel without provocation in his village, Baghal Rind, in Dahli taluka. His children and some women from his family were also with him at the press club.
According to Meghwar, the assault was carried out at the direction of an influential man from the same community living in a neighbouring village. He also said the family had been threatened against approaching the police or any other authority.
"They started beat up the camel and continued with the inhuman treatment until they gouged out both eyes of the animal at the behest of an influential figure of their community, living in the neighbouring village. The suspects are threatening us with dire consequences if we approach the police or any other authority for action against them," he said, attributing the allegation to the owner.
Following the emergence of the case, civil society activists in Chachro staged protests, while the incident also drew widespread reaction on social media. Member of the Provincial Assembly Surendar Valasai separately urged police in the area to take immediate action against those involved.
Meghwar appealed to the authorities and animal rights organisations to investigate the case and bring those responsible to justice. The chief minister’s intervention came amid growing public concern over the treatment of the animal and calls for accountability.
Reporter: G.R. Junejo