‘Tension in Hyderabad DIRECT RESULT of….’: Asaduddin Owaisi on Prophet remark row

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has blamed suspended BJP MLA T Raj Singh for the current communal tension in parts of Hyderabad.

Hyderabad: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has said that the current tension in parts of Hyderabad is a direct result of controversial BJP MLA T Raja Singh’s derogatory remark on Prophet Muhammad. T Raja Singh, who is the MLA from Goshamahal, has been suspended by the saffron party for "violating" the party's Constitution. He was issued a show-cause notice by the BJP, asking him to explain within 10 days why he should not be expelled from the party.

"This situation is a direct result of Raja Singh's hate speech. He must be sent to jail at the earliest. I also reiterate my appeal to maintain peace. #Hyderabad is our home, it should not fall prey to communalism," Owaisi said in a tweet.

3. This situation is a direct result of Raja Singh’s hate speech. He must be sent to jail at the earliest. I also reiterate my appeal to maintain peace. #Hyderabad is our home, it should not fall prey to communalism

— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) August 24, 2022

In another tweet, the AIMIM MP informed that the local police picked up 90 people from the Shah Ali Banda area on Wednesday and later released them on his representation. "On my representation to DCP South, 90 protesting youth from Shah Ali Banda & Asha Talkies have been released. AIMIM MLA Ahmed bin Abdullah Balala & our corporators have been working all night to de-escalate the situation. I have been in touch with them & police too #Hyderabad," he tweeted.

1. On my representation to DCP South, ~90 protesting youth from Shah Ali Banda & Asha Talkies have been released. AIMIM MLA Ahmed bin Abdullah Balala & our corporators have been working all night to de-escalate the situation. I have been in touch with them & police too #Hyderabad pic.twitter.com/7WxDx9HuKd

— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) August 24, 2022

Owaisi further said AIMIM MLA Ahmed bin Abdullah Balala and the party's corporators of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation have been working all night to de-escalate the situation.

Tension in Hyderabad

Some of the sensitive areas of the city have witnessed sporadic incidents of protests against Raja Singh who was arrested on August 23 for allegedly making remarks against Islam and Prophet Mohammed in a video, which was later pulled down by the social media platform on which it was uploaded. The BJP MLA from Ghosamahal was later granted bail by a local court.

Following his release by the court, protests erupted in some parts of the city that went on till Wednesday afternoon. According to him in one case, police had used disproportionate force and barged into a home and detained five youths. "This isn't acceptable. They've been released on my representation. I asked our corporators to drop the youths back home," he said in the tweet.

Appeal for calm

The Telangana government follows an uncompromising policy in maintaining law and order and it would not tolerate those who create unrest by speaking in a manner that hurts the feelings of those belonging to other religions, State's Home Minister Mohd Mahmood Ali said on Wednesday. The government would act tough as per law, he said.

He said complaints against the now-suspended BJP MLA Raja Singh for making allegedly objectionable comments on the Prophet have been received in Hyderabad and in several other police stations in the State. Action would be taken as per law on those complaints and there is no distinction among people on the basis of religion, caste, creed and others in the eyes of the law, he said in a statement here. No one is exempt from the law and it would do its work, Ali said.