It’s been two years since Priya Kumari, a bright-eyed seven-year-old, vanished while serving water to mourners at a Muharram procession in Sukkur. Her disappearance has left a trail of unanswered questions, frustration and fear in the Hindu community.

The frustration boiled over on Friday when some members of the civil society gathered at Teen Talwar, Clifton, to demand answers about Priya’s disappearance. The police responded with a baton charge, leaving many injured.

Defending the police action, DIG Javed Jiskani and SSP Tanvir Tunio said that the protesters had blocked the main road, causing inconvenience to citizens. “We had to take action to restore order and ensure the flow of traffic,” DIG Jiskani said.

However, some witnesses said that the protesters had not blocked the road. “The police action was unnecessary and excessive,” said Sheema Kermani, a human rights activist. “We were peacefully demanding justice for Priya, when they attacked us.”

SSP Tunio maintained that the police had shown restraint and only used force when the protesters became violent. “We understand the protesters’ sentiments, but we cannot allow them to disrupt public order,” he said.

The baton charge by the police demonstrated a lack of restraint. Instead of engaging with the protesters and addressing their concerns, the police resorted to force, which escalated the situation. [Needs attribution. If this is ABS’s judgment, he needs to say he was there.]

Given the sensitive nature of the case, involving a missing child and a family’s anguish, the police actions come across as insensitive and dismissive of the community’s concern.

Priya’s father Raju Mal says the sounds associated with a Muharram procession - the beating of drums and the chanting of mourners - bring back the faint whisper of his daughter’s voice, calling out to him. At the Clifton protest he pleaded for truth: “We’re not asking for much. Just tell us what happened to our daughter. The police won’t give us even that.”

Raju Mal recalls the time his daughter went missing two years ago with a mix of sadness and anger. “We were doing our duty, serving water to those in need, like we do every year. But then, she was gone,” he says.

Despite numerous pleas to the authorities, there has been no sign of Priya.

Speaking in May, DIG Pir Mohammad Shah had rekindled the hopes of the distraught family saying she would “…soon reunite with her family.” This was the first time in two years police had said that. He had said he believed the child was alive and the police were close to recovering her. However, this did not come to pass.

“The police action was unnecessary and excessive,” said Sheema Kermani, a human rights activist. “We were peacefully demanding justice for Priya, when they attacked us.”

In April, the Home Department had set up a five-member joint investigation team comprising Mirpurkhas DIG Javed Jiskani (head), Hyderabad SSP Amjad Shaikh, Shaheed Benazirabad SSP Tanveer Tunio and two DSPs. No report by the team has been made public, so far.

Speaking at the protest rally in Clifton, activists Sheema Kermani and Dr Yasmin Kazi had expressed concern over the lack of progress in the case. “The police inaction is appalling,” Kermani had said. “It’s an example of how minority communities are neglected and remain vulnerable to exploitation.”

The Hindu community is particularly fearful, given the reported incidents of forced conversion and child abduction. “We’re scared for our children’s safety,” said Laxman Singh, a community leader. “The government must take concrete steps to protect us.”

Child abuse is on the rise in Sindh. In 2022 alone, over 1,200 cases of child abuse were reported in Sindh. Karachi accounted for the highest number of cases, 540, followed by Hyderabad with 230 cases, Sukkur 150 cases, Larkana 100 and Mirpurkhas 80. Most of the victims were between the ages of 5 and 12 years. Girls were more vulnerable to abuse than boys.

2,227 cases were reported in 2023. Of these, 54 per cent were girls.

Against the backdrop of police action against the protesters, Priya’s parents met with Home Minister Zia Lanjar and members of the JIT. They were accompanied by representatives from Minority Rights March, Aurat March, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Women’s Democratic Front and Priya Kumari Bazyabi Committee.

The home minister told the group the reward for information leading to the child had been raised from Rs 5 million to Rs 10 million. “Such contrary developments are frustrating,” one of the participant of the meeting at the Chief Minister’s House said.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi alongside Saeed Ghani on April 1, the minister had expressed doubts that Kumari was alive.

On Saturday, the day after the police baton-charged the protestors, four police officers were suspended from service for “misbehaviour.”

The contributor works for The News International